"This should be a policy: to see the teaching profession as a challenge, a vision, and a national role"

"I think the central challenge of the colleges of education is currently closely linked to the central challenge of the entire Israeli education system: the low attractiveness of the teaching profession," argues Prof. Chaim Shaked, president of the Hemdat Academic College in Sdot Negev and chairman of the Forum of Presidents of Colleges of Education in Israel. "The teaching profession enjoys too little popularity; too few quality young people choose education as a profession. We do not have enough quality educators as we would like," he added.

Regarding the number of applicants, Shaked describes a complex situation: "There were several years of growth, but in the last five years, there has been a decline. The story is not just how many teachers there are, but whether there are enough quality teachers. When a principal looks for a teacher, he can find someone with a certificate, but not necessarily a graduate of the level he would like to find."

He notes that a teacher's quality is determined by training and personal skills. "The training process is generally fine, but the personal characteristics of those who come to study are not high enough compared to other professions. In the past, people who were far above the minimum threshold also came to study teaching."

Furthermore, there is a high dropout rate. "There is a drastic increase in the rate of those dropping out of the education system. The dropout rate in the first years has tripled within a decade. Today we are at 25% dropouts within three years," Prof. Shaked testifies.

Teaching profession pushed aside

"Many teacher training institutions are dealing with the challenge of recruiting students. People do not want to enter the education system," says Prof. Smadar Donitsa-Schmidt, president of the Kibbutzim College. "We are very strict about admission. I always tell our committees: 'Think if you want this candidate to teach your child or grandchild.' A teacher needs to be empathetic and sensitive, so we strictly examine motivation and the desire to enter the field."

Prof. Ilana Levenberg, president of the Gordon Academic College of Education, argues: "The crisis in teaching has existed for over a decade. High-tech and other professions are branded higher, while the teaching profession is pushed down, compounded by lower salaries. Prestige is diminishing. On the other hand, we see people coming into teaching through conversion programs out of an understanding of the profession's importance. We try to graduate students who will stay in the system."

Fear of the system

What are the main concerns of students today? Donitsa-Schmidt: "Even students who finish their studies successfully are afraid of entering the school. They know what is happening around them and are afraid to take on the responsibility of leading a class and managing in front of parents and the system's demands."

Levenberg: "Our students are snatched up in the market due to teacher shortages, especially in core subjects like mathematics and English. They are well-prepared but arrive at a system that has remained behind in terms of technology and pedagogical openness."

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Solutions: from working conditions to national strategy

What needs to be done to attract quality people? Shaked: "A plan is needed with several components aimed at one goal: increasing demand. It is related to physical working conditions, the service teachers receive from the Ministry of Education, and salary. If the experience of being a teacher is more positive, more people will come and fewer will drop out."

Donitsa-Schmidt: "The banal answer is to improve working conditions and compensation. But salary is not the whole story. It is mandatory to give more autonomy, backing, and support. A teacher needs to feel protected. We also need to build a career horizon. A young teacher needs to know what his developmental path is in five or ten years. We are opening a career center to help students see this horizon, but the whole system must mobilize for this."

Levenberg: "It needs to come from above, from policymakers. In the past, teachers were seen as leaders of the people and the state. Today, this has disappeared. This should be a policy: to see the teaching profession as a challenge, a vision, and a national role. Until this profession is branded this way, the situation will not change."

Future challenges

Donitsa-Schmidt notes that colleges must constantly adapt: "I need to train teachers to deal with the pedagogical aspects of online teaching, emotional-social responses, and the entry of artificial intelligence. Knowledge is available through AI, so we invest in 21st-century skills: critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork."

Levenberg concludes: "We are in the midst of a national crisis. The educator today is a therapist, a leader, and an emotional anchor. Students who experienced a long period of war, anxiety, and existential threat need a guiding hand. We must prepare the next generation of educators for a variety of problems they will have to face."