Israel

Partners situated in Israel

None.

Israel in a nutshell

Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Yisra'el; Arabic: إِسْرَائِيلُ‎, Isrā'īl) officially the State of Israel ( מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةُ إِسْرَائِيلَ‎, Dawlat Isrā'īl), is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Also adjacent are two areas of Palestine - the West Bank to the east and Gaza Strip to the southwest.

Israel is the world's only Jewish state, with a population of about 7.37 million, of whom about 5.57 million are Jewish. It is also home to other ethnic groups, including most numerously Arab citizens of Israel, as well as many religious groups including Muslims, Christians, Druze, Samaritans and others.

Israel operates under a parliamentary system as a democratic country with universal suffrage. The President of Israel is the head of state, but his duties are largely ceremonial. A Parliament Member supported by a majority in parliament becomes the Prime Minister, usually the chairman of the largest party. The Prime Minister is the head of government and head of the Cabinet. Israel is governed by a 120-member parliament, known as the Knesset. Membership in the Knesset is based on proportional representation of political parties, with a 2% electoral threshold, which commonly results in coalition governments. Parliamentary elections are scheduled every four years, but unstable coalitions or a no-confidence vote by the Knesset often dissolves governments earlier. The Basic Laws of Israel function as an unwritten constitution. In 2003, the Knesset began to draft an official constitution based on these laws.

The State of Israel is divided into six main administrative districts, known as mehozot (מחוזות; singular: mahoz) – Center, Haifa, Jerusalem, North, Southern, and Tel Aviv Districts. Districts are further divided into fifteen sub-districts known as nafot (נפות; singular: nafa), which are themselves partitioned into fifty natural regions.

For statistical purposes, the country is divided into three metropolitan areas: Tel Aviv and Gush Dan (population 3,150,000), Haifa (population 996,000), and Beersheba (population 531,600). Israel's largest city, both in population and area, is Jerusalem with 732,100 residents in an area of 126 square kilometers (49 sq mi). Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Rishon LeZion rank as Israel's next most populous cities, with populations of 384,600, 267,000, and 222,300 respectively.

Israel has two official languages, Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is the primary language of the state and spoken by the majority of the population. Arabic is spoken by the Arab minority and Jews who immigrated to Israel from Arab lands. Most Israelis can communicate reasonably well in English, as many television programs are in English and many schools begin to teach English in the early grades. As a country of immigrants, dozens of languages can be heard on the streets of Israel. A large influx of people from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia have made Russian and Amharic widely spoken in Israel.

Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people and is often referred to as the Jewish state. The country's Law of Return grants all Jews and those of Jewish lineage the right to Israeli citizenship. Just over three quarters, or 75.5%, of the population are Jews from a diversity of Jewish backgrounds. Approximately 68% of Israeli Jews are Israeli-born, 22% are immigrants from Europe and the Americas, and 10% are immigrants from Asia and Africa (including the Arab World). The religious affiliation of Israeli Jews varies widely: 55% say they are "traditional," while 20% consider themselves "secular Jews," 17% define themselves as "Orthodox Jews"; the final 8% define themselves as "Haredi Jews."

up 16.2% of the population, Muslims constitute Israel's largest religious minority. About 2% of the population are Christian and 1.5% are Druze.

Israel education policy

Education is compulsory in Israel for children between the ages of three and eighteen.[192][193] Schooling is divided into three tiers:

1. primary school (grades 1–6)
2. middle school (grades 7–9)
3. high school (grades 10–12

– culminating with Bagrut matriculation exams. Proficiency in core subjects such as mathematics, Bible, Hebrew language, Hebrew and general literature, English, history, and civics is necessary to receive a Bagrut certificate.

In Arab, Christian and Druze schools, the exam on Biblical studies is replaced by an exam in Islam, Christianity or Druze heritage.

In 2003, over half of all Israeli twelfth graders earned a matriculation certificate.

Israel's eight public universities are subsidized by the state.

Higher education

There are eight official public universities in Israel.

In addition, there are a few dozen colleges and other institutes of higher learning, as well as about a dozen foreign university extensions. All are academically supervised by the Council for Higher Education in Israel (CHEI). The main difference between a university and a college in Israel is that only a university can issue doctorate degrees. Theoretically, a college can apply to the CHEI to upgrade its status to university.

Source: List of Universities in Israel

Universities in Israel

The eight official universities are listed below, with the acronymus commonly used in English:

1. Bar-Ilan University (BIU)
2. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU)
3. University of Haifa (HU)
4. Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI)
5. Open University of Israel (OPENU; OUI)
6. Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (IIT)
7. Tel Aviv University (TAU)
8. Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS)

Israel's seven research universities (excluding the Open University of Israel) have been ranked in the top 500 in the world.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel's oldest university, houses the Jewish National and University Library, the world's largest repository of books on Jewish subjects

Polytechnics in Israel

In addition to the universities, there are a around 30 colleges and other institutes of higher learning, as well as about a dozen foreign university extensions. All are academically supervised by the Council for Higher Education in Israel (CHEI). The main difference between a university and a college in Israel is that only a university can issue doctorate degrees. Theoretically, a college can apply to the CHEI to upgrade its status to university.

Teacher training colleges

There are also over 20 teacher training colleges or seminaries, most of which can award only a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree. The teacher training seminaries include:

1. Ahva College of Education, Ahva
2. Arab College for Education , Haifa
3. Beit Berl College, Beit Berl
4. College of Technology Education , Tel Aviv
5. David Yellin College of Education, Jerusalem
6. Efrata College of Education, Jerusalem
7. Emuna College of Education, Jerusalem
8. Givat Washington College of Education, Givat Washington
9. Gordon College of Education, Haifa
10. Hemdat College of Education, Netivot
11. Jerusalem College Michlala, Jerusalem
12. Kaye Academic College of Education, Beersheba
13. Kibbutzim College of Education, Tel Aviv
14. Levinsky College of Education, Tel Aviv
15. Lifshiz Religious College of Education, Jerusalem
16. Mofet, Consortium of Colleges of Education
17. Moreshet Yaakov Religious College of Education, Rehovot
18. Ohalo College, Katzrin (Golan Heights)
19. Oranim Academic College of Education, Oranim
20. Ort College for Teachers of Technology, Tel Aviv
21. Shaanan Religious College of Education, Haifa
22. Talpiot College of Education, Tel Aviv
23. Wizo College of Design and Education, Haifa

Higher education reform

The Bologna Process

It is reported in the Wikipedia article on the Bologna Process that Israel is not eligible to participate:

Israel is not a party to the European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe, although it has observer status. Hence, Israel participates in the meetings of the Council of Europe's Steering Committees under the European Cultural Convention – such as the CDESR – as an observer. While Israel is not a part of geographical Europe, it is a part of the UNESCO Europe Region. Israel is also a signatory party to the Lisbon Recognition Convention. Under the criteria defined in the Berlin Communiqué, it seems clear that Israel is not eligible for access to the Bologna Process.

Be that as it may, there are discussions within Israel on the issue. After all, several countries well outside Europe are aligning their offerings with the Bologna Process. The report EU-Israel: "The Sky is the limit" noted in 2006:

• Israel has a high quality of education based on research. Thus this discussion is highly relevant, with the atmosphere favoring the Bologna Process.
• In order to be attractive to the Bologna process Israel should emphasize the field of science, and the relations with the European academy will have to be based on the quality level.
• The questions that should be asked regarding the government-university relationships: What does it mean? How far should the government go? Where does it lead? What can the Bologna Process do to save universities from governmental abuse? Additional questions may be: How does the European education attract students? How do we make Europe more attractive to Israeli students?

Administration and finance

The Planning and Budgeting Committee - a permanent subcommittee of the Council for Higher Education - submits the ordinary and development budgets for higher education to the government. It also:

1. allocates the global approved ordinary and development budgets provided by the government
2. proposes plans for the development of higher education, including financing
3. ensures that the budgets of the institutions are balanced
4. encourages efficiency in higher education institutions and coordinates between them.

Quality assurance

The Council for Higher Education is the licensing and accrediting authority for higher education in Israel. It is an independent statutory body composed of 19-25 members appointed by the President of the state, on the recommendation of the government.

The Council is empowered by law to advise the government on the development and financing of higher education and scientific research. Its Planning and Budgeting Committee (a permanent subcommittee) submits the ordinary and development budgets for higher education to the government; allocates the global approved ordinary and development budgets provided by the government; proposes plans for the development of higher education, including financing; and ensures that the budgets of the institutions are balanced. In addition, it encourages efficiency in higher education institutions and coordinates between them.

Quality Assessment Unit

In June 2003 the Council for Higher Education decided to establish a system for quality assessment of Israeli higher education with the aim of:

1. Improving the quality of higher education in Israel.
2. Strengthening the awareness to the quality assessment process and developing internal mechanisms in the institutions of higher education, that would continually evaluate the academic quality.
3. Ensuring the continual integration of the Israeli academic system within the global academic systems.

The four stages in the model for quality assessment determined by the Council for Higher Education are:

1. A self-evaluation process at the institutions being examined, accompanied by the preparation of a self-study report
2. Quality assessment of the study program at the institutions being examined, carried out by an external committee appointed by the CHE, whose work will be based on the self-evaluation reports and visits to the institutions. , At the conclusion of the evaluation process, the committee will present a summary report to the CHE.
3. Discussion and decision-making by the CHE.
4. Publication of the CHE's decisions.

The Council also decided that for the first years of its operation the Quality Assessment Unit will only evaluate study-programmess and disciplines, postponing assessment at the institutional level until a future date.

Virtual Campuses in HE

Interesting Virtual Campus Initiatives

Open University of Israel

"Students are required to study on their own, practice at home, actively participate in group learning activities, and meet course deadlines and requirements. Since 1996, the Open University has offered programs of study leading to a Master's degree: initially an M.Sc. in Computer Science, and since then, an M.A. in Democracy Studies, Biological Thought, a Master of Business Administration - MBA, and an M.A. in Education - Learning Technologies and Learning Systems. In contrast to the open admission policy for undergraduate studies, admission to graduate studies is contingent on fulfilment of certain requirements."

Source: General info

"Agreements for bridges to other universities have been reached with the universities after they examined the OUI's study materials, and compared the programs of study in both institutions, and after seeing the high level of courses and the quality of assessment at the Open University." : Source: Bridges to Other Universities

Relevant web page: Wikipedia entry on the OU of Israel

HighLearn

Fox education edition (HighLearn) from Britannica Knowledge Systems is a web-based learning content management system (LCMS) that has been designed for higher education and professional development needs. HighLearn is designed to assist institutions in effectively managing all aspects of their campus-wide e-learning. HighLearn was chosen by the Council for Higher Education in Israel (CHEI) as the infrastructure for the nationwide e-learning initiative. Since the beginning of project six years ago, HighLearn has been implemented at six of Israel’s eight leading universities, numerous colleges and more than twenty teacher training colleges. Thousands of faculty members have developed more than 10,000 blended courses, in which more than 150,000 students participate.

For more details see http://www.britannica-ks.com/Solutions/Education.asp

Interesting Programmes

The Center for Educational Technology (CET) is an Israeli, non denominational NGO, dedicated to the advancement of the education system in Israel, in the Jewish world and around the globe. In its 37 years of activity, CET has invested significant resources in carrying out its social mission, and has established its expertise and reputation as a content developer, introducer of advanced technologies and the leader of next generation learning.

CET is also the developer of the "Virtual Campus", Israel’s online campus for teachers, which offers a range of courses in all subjects. Through the virtual campus, teachers can view lectures and share their professional knowledge at any time, and from anywhere. The campus was adopted by the Ministry of Education and now hosts more than 70,000 teachers.

For more see http://www3.cet.ac.il/English/pages/Home.aspx. There appear to be strong similarities with Becta including use of the phrase Next Generation Learning.

Re.ViCa Case-study

None.

Lessons learnt

None.

References

A very useful survey paper is THE E-LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN ISRAEL HIGHER EDUCATION: CURRENT STATUS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE, by Gila Kurtz et al - http://www.biu.ac.il/bar-e-learn/article_Kurtz.doc

This could be drawn on for an expanded version of this country report.

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