Teaching Children Under Fire

One of the collateral damages of wartime is the paralysis of the public education system. During war, our children simply do not learn. The limited hours of Zoom are marginal and do not come close to filling the large gap created by the lack of sufficient learning time.

The absence of educational frameworks for children during wartime affects the entire household. Adults experience a kind of paralysis around the lack of their children’s education. Parents who are at home – and not serving in the reserves – cannot devote themselves sufficiently to their places of employment. The emotional toll on each family member is affected as well. The indirect damage to the economy is significant.

For the past six years, the State of Israel has been on and off in a state of emergency—from COVID  to the current war—the public education system has suffered repeated periods of shutdowns and disruption. On the other hand, the public health system has made significant adjustments to maintain healthcare delivery under fire. This demonstrates that a larger complex public system can undergo necessary adaptations when needed. So, the question is why does education during an emergency continue to be overlooked and neglected time and time again?

During times of war, Israel demonstrates remarkable capabilities in the spheres of intelligence, technology, and innovation. If we can be superior leaders on security issues we should be equally as successful in developing new models for teaching our children efficiently and effectively during times of crisis.

Unfortunately, the solution will not come from the Ministry of Education. There is an opportunity for a robust and impactful grassroots initiative to be led by civil society. Currently there are several regional initiatives dealing with this challenge but this is not enough. The challenge to teach our children under fire needs to become a national priority.

Israel has some of the finest minds, with the capacity to create innovative, high-quality educational platforms especially in the midst of an emergency. New models will allow students of all ages to continue learning in a serious way when schools are closed. Attention should be given to the different needs and opportunities of populations living in cities or in rural communities. The delivery of new models will most like will be through systems on the municipal level. At some point in the R&D stage, municipal players should be included in the process.

Unfortunately, the challenges of learning during the time of emergency will not end with the conclusion of the current war. It is most probable that Israel will be confronting continued fighting on its borders in the coming years. This sad reality will impact the public school system and our children’s ability to learn under fire in a serious manner.

Now is the time for a group of social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to initiate and lead a start-up nation educational initiative to turn Israel into a leader in teaching children under fire with new quality educational models.