"The state religious schools are too small and this affects their ability to teach science"

This is according to a new study by the movement "Faithful to Torah and Work" * The director of research and education policy in the movement, Ariel Finkelstein, says in a conversation with the website Hedaman that there is no chance that a union between boys' and girls' schools will be possible, but other models can be adopted, including distance learning and a model of a joint science study center

A new study by the "Loyal Torah and Work" movement reveals surprising findings regarding science studies in state-religious education. According to the study, written by the director of research and education policy in the movement, Ariel Finkelstein, students of the Hamad rarely delve deeper into scientific subjects in high school.

"In the elementary schools and middle schools, there are no significant differences in achievement in science between the students of the state education and the students of the religious state education. Despite this, in the upper division, two significant gaps are revealed between the Hamad students and the state education:

First, the proportion of Hamad students who study science subjects in the upper division is much lower than in state education and in the Arab sector, where the phenomenon is particularly noticeable in the most distinct and difficult scientific subjects: physics and chemistry.

Second, the rate of Hamad students who have two scientific baccalaureates and the rate of those eligible for a high-quality science and technology diploma in Hamad is extremely low, even though the rate of those eligible for a matriculation certificate in Hamad is the highest.

This study points to two main factors for these problems:

1. The size of the school: the schools in the upper division in the Hamad are significantly smaller than the schools in the state education: this leads to the fact that the percentage of the schools in the upper division in the Hamad where students are allowed to study scientific subjects is very low. This is especially noticeable in subjects such as physics and chemistry, for the study of which valuable laboratories and equipment are needed, which are not profitable to have for a small group of students.

2. Setting a low bar for girls: the percentage of girls who are in-depth in scientific subjects in Hamad in the upper division is lower than the corresponding percentage in state education and in the Arab sector. Similarly, the percentage of girls with a high-quality science and technology certificate in Hamad is zero and is much lower than the corresponding percentage among boys in Hamad And they are of the same percentage among the girls in the state education and in the Arab sector And compared to the girls in the rest of the education system in Israel, it is very surprising against the background of the fact that the percentage of eligibility for matriculation among Hamad students is the highest in the country, and against the background of the fact that compared to the state education where the girls' achievements in science in the XNUMXth grades are lower than the boys' achievements, in the Hamad the girls' achievements in the sciences in the XNUMXth grades Rather higher than the boys' achievements.

Although the potential among the female students of the Hamad is very high, there is almost no intention of the girls to study science. This is probably due to a religious-traditional view that sets a low bar for girls and settles for easier subjects than scientific subjects. In addition, it seems that this view believes that the scientific subjects are realistic subjects Therefore, they are much more compatible with the male character compared to the female character that is more suitable for humanitarian professions.

In response to the question of the science site whether the schools are separate for boys and girls, and this is the reason for Kotnam, Ariel Finkelstein, the editor of the study, answered:
"The absolute majority of the secondary institutions in religious education are completely separate institutions. There are institutions for boys and there are institutions for girls. Nevertheless, a few years ago a school was built in the city that, according to what you suggested, where there is one school with two gates, and the boys And the girls are sometimes together. It's hard for me to believe that this can become a serious model at the national level. By the way, the claim that the institutions are small because of the separation is not entirely acceptable to me. Obviously, the separation has a part in it, but only a part. In my opinion, the institutions are small mainly because the parents are interested in a personal relationship, and because the religious community likes to be divided. In a separate study that will be published soon, we will deal with this question in detail.

Would you consider cooperation with Hamada?
"Until your email, I had not heard of this association. I just read on the Internet and its model is actually a model that I recommend in research. Regarding cooperation, we are not a body that actually sets policy, but I think it should be suggested to the Hamad administration."
Is there any limitation on the study content (in the field of biology or astrophysics for example)?
Finkelstein: "As far as I know there is no real limit on study material in the fields of science in religious education in high schools. In the end, we approach exactly the same matriculation."

What happens on the way from elementary to high school that makes children lose interest in science?
Finkelstein: "That's a good question, of course. In my opinion, religious children are at least as interested in science studies as secular children. If the institutions allow them to do so, and encourage them to excel rather than mediocrity, I see no reason why the number of religious students studying science should be lower."

In the report itself, Finkelstein recommends addressing the issue of the size of the schools: this phenomenon is also related to the high cost of the schools in the upper divisions of the Hamad, a topic that will soon be dedicated to an independent study. We believe that in the long term, incentives should be used to consolidate schools, except for the opening of small schools, and at the very least, parents should be made aware of the consequences and costs of opening small schools.

In the short term, we recommend the encouragement and promotion of two programs that the Ministry of Education is already running today, which can reduce the impact of the small schools on the science studies in the upper division in Hamad:

A. Super-regional majors: opening of super-regional scientific majors for Hamad students. Several schools in the same region can open a joint scientific major in which students from several different schools will study. This of course requires close cooperation between schools, but this program has already been implemented in several years in Jerusalem and it seems that this is not so complicated.

on. Virtual high school: In the 100 school year, the virtual high school project began operating, the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Metah, with about 5 students in six classes. The project focused on the subjects of mathematics and physics, and it allows students in schools that are unable to open these majors - if due to Lack of teachers and if due to a small number of students - take the matriculation exams in the scope of XNUMX study units.

We recommend examining the use of this project to promote science studies in Hamad and enable the opening of scientific majors through virtual learning.

Science studies for girls: in this area the required change is not technical but cultural. Today, when many religious women are integrated into significant positions in Israeli society, there is no reason why the percentage of girls studying science in the upper division at Hamad should not increase.