Ahead of the new school year: 90% of parents report academic damage to children due to the war

Ahead of the start of the school year, a survey conducted among a representative sample of approximately one thousand parents examines the impact of the "Lion's Roar" war on Israeli students. The study, conducted by the Geocartography Institute and the Manor Center, presents a worrying picture of widespread damage alongside a lack of trust in the Ministry of Education's response.

Nearly 90% of parents report damage to their children's studies following the war, 74% report social damage, and over 80% report psychological damage. The impact is felt most intensely in the state-Hebrew and state-Arab education systems.

Data show that students who suffered from frequent class cancellations in the past year due to a teacher shortage took a double hit during the emergency, with 77% of them suffering severe academic damage — compared to only 37% among those whose routine was maintained. Similar rates were recorded for social and psychological damage.

Only 22.4% of all parents express satisfaction with the Ministry of Education's performance during the war. In addition, parents express distrust in the "remote learning" solution and prefer a full closure of the system during an emergency, with school days made up at the expense of vacations, or learning in small groups in shelters exclusively with permanent teachers.

While the state system suffered heavy damage, the data in the ultra-Orthodox education sector are dramatically lower, with 63% testifying to the absence of social damage and 45.5% to no psychological damage, a figure indicating the maintenance of a community routine or detachment from emergency events.