Israel education system short 3,000 teachers, raising fears over quality of learning

Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsIsrael faces a shortage of 3,000 educators, including 200 kindergarten teachers, raising concerns that unqualified staff may have to teach unfamiliar subjects or oversee two classes at once.Follow us on GoogleChildren return to school following the ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah at Gamla Primary School in Katsrin, Golan Heights, April 19, 2026. (photo credit: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)ByRUBY SADIKMANJULY 30, 2026 01:41Updated: JULY 30, 2026 01:44Israel's education system is short 3,000 educators and 200 kindergarten teachers, including 100 in special education, as of the end of July, according to a report from KAN News.The shortage is primarily concentrated in scientific topics and is most prevalent in the Tel Aviv and Central districts.In July 2025, the lack of educators stood at 5,000, which would theoretically indicate an improvement on the part of the Education Ministry. However, the reduction in numbers can be partly attributed to teachers taking on subjects outside of their wheelhouse. For example, the past year saw sports teachers taking on English classes, for which they're not appropriately trained, and physical education teachers leading lessons in computing. As such, concern is mounting that this school year will see one teacher leading two classes at a time.Though pitfalls in education systems are a global issue, Israel's shortage is notably extreme. In the percentage of principals who report a decline in the quality of teaching due to a shortage of teachers, Israel ranks third-to-last after the Netherlands and Latvia.View of an empty classroom at a school in Jerusalem, during a strike, on September 1, 2024. (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Teachers threatened strikes over lack of staff, resourcesThis report comes after Israeli teachers threatened to go on strike in June due to staffing shortages.At the time, the Teachers' Union had given an ultimatum to limit the integration of children with disabilities into classrooms over concerns that schools did not have sufficient resources to support each student's needs. Though parent associations rejected the ultimatum as discriminatory, Anat Dadon, chairwoman of the union's Early Childhood Department, said that implementation of increased capacity for special education students wouldn't work. "When a classroom includes five to seven students entitled to individualized support packages, without enough assistance hours and professional staff, educational teams find themselves facing an impossible task," she said.She went on to call it "policy that was not backed by resources," and spoke out against the institutions that idealized the situation.Additionally, the Finance Ministry, the Education Ministry, and the Secondary School Teachers' Union decided last Wednesday to shorten the school week to five days, now excluding Fridays.Follow us on Google