The Younger Generation, Front and Center

Israel understands all too well that even war should not prevent us from ensuring the younger generation’s future. Undaunted, we have continued implementing this belief on the ground despite the ramifications of the Hamas attack against us almost 17 months ago.

One of the most tangible examples can be found in the southern city of Sderot, a long-time victim of Hamas rockets – and also home to the region’s only center for gifted children. Not even evacuation from their homes, after Sderot was tragically targeted in the Hamas invasion, hindered the area’s 90 gifted pupils from continuing their studies. Indeed, this they did in relevant centers near their temporary residences until returning home in March 2024.

Inspiring.

The Sderot center was established just a few years ago to eliminate the burden of traveling to distant locations for both testing and subsequent participation in the program. This decision was made after independent research showed that the percentage of gifted children in this working-class city, which has a mid-level socio-economic ranking, was as high as Israeli society’s upper echelons.

While pupils already in programs for the gifted seem to be managing, the war has raised obstacles for those seeking to enter. After the first phase of the acceptance exam in the 2023-24 academic year was totally cancelled, this year it was conducted on a partial basis only in accordance with the security reality.

Israel is among only a handful of countries that conduct what’s known in professional circles as “nationwide identification” of gifted pupils. In accordance with this policy, every child in the country is entitled to be tested more than once at the state’s expense.

The enrichment activities of about 24,000 gifted pupils (3% of the entire student body), together with a similar number of “excelling” pupils (another 5%), are financed by a 200-million-shekel annual budget.

Alongside the successes, data unfortunately also point to lingering gender gaps: 9,000 boys took the relevant exams in 2022, as compared to only 5,000 girls. The government acknowledges the problem and is working to close the gaps.

While not a quick fix, one initiative that just might help down the road is a program to immerse children aged 3-6 in gender equality thinking. The first pilot was implemented in 2022 in 77 kindergartens located across nine municipalities. The second pilot will be launched this September.

According to Oshra Yosef-Friedman, Deputy Director-General at the Social Equality Ministry, who together with the Education Ministry is spearheading the idea:

“Equal opportunity in the context of education means creating an environment that ensures equal access to diverse experiences. This needs to be accomplished in a substantive way, not through declarations and stereotypes.”

In other words: don’t tell girls what they can and cannot do. Just make sure they know that the sky’s the limit.

In the more immediate term, Israel’s unique “kindergarten of the future” concept will serve as the basis for a new robotics program in about 500 kindergartens. The use of robotics is intended to nurture cooperation, critical thinking, imagination, and other positive traits.

Broader activities to incorporate technology into schools are also in the pipeline. As part of a new national plan integrating artificial intelligence from 4^th grade to the end of high school, more than 400 tech firms will train 3,000 mentors who will be entrusted with adapting AI technologies to educational needs.

Israel is admittedly playing catchup in science instruction. Shortly after the latest TIMSS international report indicated a significant decline in math and science scores among 8^th graders between 2019 and 2023, the education minister announced a five-year plan to accelerate STEM achievements.

These new initiatives join opportunities that have already existed for several years for gifted students to advance their scientific potential. Three such options for 7^th-9^th graders are being conducted in a partnership between the Education Ministry and the Future Scientists Center of the Maimonides Fund non-profit.

Hopefully, these efforts will bear fruit in the near future, as other government programs have proven their worth time and again.

One great example: thanks to the New Way program, gaps in eligibility for high school matriculation exams have been closed between Israelis of Ethiopian descent (2% of the student body) and all other native-Hebrew-speaking students. In addition, participation of these pupils in gifted children programs jumped by 20% in the previous academic year.

No small feat in our climate of war.

Apropos learning in war conditions: while the past 16 months have been challenging for all Israelis, this is especially true for some 50,000 Israeli pupils placed in temporary educational frameworks after being evacuated from their homes.

Only now are those from northern Israel going back to their familiar schools. Of 16,000 students, 63.7% returned by March 9^th together with 83.3% of their teachers (instructors who returned by March 2^nd could avail themselves of special acclimatization grants from the government).

Restoring educational normalcy to the north has its challenges. With this in mind, the government budgeted around 50 million shekels for supplemental after-school programs that include emotional support services.

Guaranteeing the future of Israel’s younger generation is our best response to those who seek to destroy the successful country we’ve worked so hard to build here. Perhaps this concern for our children is what separates us most from our enemies.