This is according to a special survey conducted at the initiative of the Director General of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports in preparation for Science Day ■ Director General of the Ministry, Eitan Brushi: "The data require soul-searching and a different preparation"
Concern at the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports following the findings of a special survey that examined the public's attitudes towards science in Israel. 49% of the Israeli public warns that the level of science education in Israeli schools is relatively low compared to other Western countries. In contrast, 58% of the Israeli public consider the level of science education in Israeli universities to be relatively high compared to other Western countries.
This is according to a special survey conducted at the initiative of the Director General of the Ministry of Science, Eitan Brushi, through the Smith Institute, which will be presented at a special meeting of the Knesset Committee on Science, Culture and Sports on the occasion of the Israeli Science Day, "Einstein Day", and the day of the death of the first Minister of Science, Prof. Yuval Naaman , which will be noted tomorrow in the Knesset.
The survey also revealed that about 90% of those surveyed consider Israel to be an advanced country in terms of its scientific level compared to other Western countries. However, 44% of the respondents demand that science education be placed at the top of the educational priority list.
When the survey participants were asked what factors most influence the development of hi-tech in Israel, 35% of them indicated the "creative thinking of the Israeli head", 29% indicated the "individual entrepreneurship", and the support of the Israeli government ranked last with only 7% of the respondents' votes .
The survey also revealed that 29% of the Israeli public would recommend their children or grandchildren to work in the high-tech field. 12% preferred that their children do accounting. Only 7% would recommend their children to become scientists at university, and surprisingly one percent of the respondents indicated that they would recommend their children to become politicians or journalists.
The most impressive data was revealed when the respondents were asked to refer to the degree of influence of the development of science on other fields. 82% stated that the development of science in Israel is important for maintaining its security strength. 94% stated that the development of science is important for the development of the Israeli economy and 93% stated that the development of science in Israel affects Israel's position in the international arena.
The Israeli public did not remain indifferent to the severe "brain drain" phenomenon and 79% of respondents stated that the Israeli government should invest efforts and resources to bring back Israeli scientists who emigrated abroad.
"Science Day is a day of self-reflection, especially in light of these difficult data," says the Director General of the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sports, Eitan Brushi. "The scientific achievements of the past and the present, including the Nobel Prizes, are the result of the work of the late Prof. Yuval Naaman and his contemporaries. The survey emphasizes the duty imposed on the Israeli government to ensure the country's scientific future. The survey shows that the Israeli public knows that Israel's economic and security future begins with science, and therefore the Israeli government must allocate additional resources to its development and repair the damage caused by the cuts in the academic research budget in recent years," explains Broshi. "The data prove that the science education system in schools must be significantly improved. We have potential and must realize it. We, as a government, must join forces with all the universities and research institutes in Israel in order to create as soon as possible attractive conditions for the return of Israeli researchers to Israel and for the researchers of the future to stay."
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Very trending article.
Here is an alternative title:
"Most Israelis do not support making science education a priority."
To Ofir Shalom:
Due to the great importance, in relation to the topic you raised; What I can offer at this stage, and voluntarily: I am ready to accompany your class with help that will be expressed in explanations in mathematics, in questions that you will focus on once a week.
If the idea seems to you, so that it can be implemented; You will have to find a way to call via the Internet.
Awaiting your reply, in friendship, and with success: a. blessed
Science needs to be at the top of the list of priorities. After all science not only explains nature but also we who live in a country surrounded by enemies and hated by certain circles should also use science for security purposes. The future generation of this country must know science and make it a priority. What can be done if there is a trend of schools that deal radically with the arts (like the arts in Jerusalem) or Teli schools that deal exclusively with Judaism on the border of religiosity and push math and science and even real scientific history aside and try to maintain an overly conservative society that does not progress with the human race. After all, this is the new age in the secular state of Israel and not the religious Middle Ages with the papal caliphates and the Sanhedrin. In any case, I suggest to the education system to stop the pathetic talisman and the excessive and even ridiculous investment in art and start investing in the sciences, in the future generation. By the way, I'm also a student, I'm in the XNUMXth grade at Teli School of Education and I'm not satisfied with the complete lack of investment in science. Food for thought
Two questions about transitions in stuttering routes:
1 . How can one explain the decline in mathematics achievements in recent years, of Israeli students in international competitions, in light of the facts that in recent years, a trend has developed to establish special schools, for established population strata?
2. If there is a problem (and there probably is), regarding the promotion of science education in Israel, are we just talking about the problem, or are fundamental steps being taken to deal with it (as far as is known, if any steps were taken, and are still being taken, it turns out that they did not yield results).