Israel will be severely lacking in special education teaching staff in the next academic year, leading to a shortened school day for students with disabilities, according to a report released by Israel’s Ministry of Education.
The Education, Culture and Sports committee met on Monday to discuss to potential need to shorten the school day for students with autism for the 2023-2024 school year due to a shortage of staff – just over 1,300 special education instructors would be needed. This number has increased by more than 150 educators since July 2022.
This lack of teachers, support staff, and other workers in the special education space would effectively call for a shortened school day for students on the autism spectrum by 45 minutes, from 4pm to 4:45pm. This decision making process was led by MK Yosef Taib, the chairman of the Education, Culture and Sports committee as well as the moderator of the discussion.
Israel’s education budget and continued strife over the matter has led Israel’s educators to strike in 2023.
Israel’s teacher shortage
In July 2022, The Jerusalem Post reported on nationwide teacher shortage. Israel’s deficit neared 6,000 teachers, mostly in educational institutions in the center of the country, the Education Ministry announced on Sunday, just six weeks before the opening of the school year.
According to data released by the ministry, 5,671 staffers are missing from the roster. When broken down by study level, the greatest shortage is in elementary schools — 2,351 teachers.
“We are in the midst of the peak of a human resources shortage that has only gotten worse in the last few years and is seriously endangering the future of Israel’s education system,” said Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton (New Hope.)
Some subjects are lacking more than others. There is a shortage of 1,495 educators, 871 English teachers, 352 math teachers and 329 Hebrew teachers. Location-wise, the region of Tel Aviv is experiencing the greatest shortage, according to the new data — 1,847.
The center of Israel follows, with a shortage of 1,642 teachers. In the settlement region, there is a shortage of 948 teachers; in the Haifa region, there is a shortage of 457 teachers; in the Jerusalem region, there is a shortage of 305 teachers; in the South, there is a shortage of 340 teachers and in the North, there is a shortage of 132 teachers.
“Israel’s education system is in a state of collapse,” said the Teachers Union in response to the data. “For years, we have been decrying the intense shortage we are experiencing.”
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