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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| With massive teacher shortages, Israel plans on teaching English to middle schoolers through AI | |
| 2026-06-22 | |
| [IsraelTimes] PM and education minister announce national program to move English lessons on screens. Since 40% of 19,000 English teachers don’t have training, could AI do much worse? In the upcoming school year, Israeli middle schoolers will start learning English through artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Kisch said on June 11. Netanyahu and Kisch made the announcement during a visit to the Dekel Vilnai Middle School in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, just east of Jerusalem in the West Bank.
“This is one of the most significant and ambitious revolutions ever carried out in the education system,” Kisch said. “It will enable every student to learn according to their own capabilities, pace of progress, and personal needs.” “This move places Israel at the forefront of the world’s leading nations in integrating AI into education, representing a national jump forward in preparing the next generation for a changing world,” he added. The initiative is called Project 720, and according to the ministry, the name “reflects its unique philosophy: 720 Degrees — representing 360 degrees around the student and 360 degrees around the teaching staff.” “We are shifting from a one-size-fits-all teaching model to a reality where every student has the opportunity to learn in a way that suits them, while maintaining high academic standards and developing the skills required for a changing world,” said Meirav Zarviv, deputy director general of the Innovation and Technology Administration, the ministry’s branch responsible for the program, according to a statement. “Simultaneously, we provide teachers with advanced tools, data, and support, allowing them to focus on personal mentorship and pedagogical leadership,” she added. However, many questions remain unanswered. The announcement comes a month after it emerged that only 22 percent of Israeli ninth graders met the requirements of the English language curriculum in Israel in the exams conducted last year by the National Authority for Educational Measurement and Evaluation (RAMA). ‘IT’S JUST ANOTHER BAND-AID’ For years, the education system has struggled with a shortage of qualified English teachers. “The easiest thing is to throw the kids in front of screens,” said an English teacher from northern Israel interviewed by Haaretz. “That’s not how you learn a language. There is no substitute for learning in front of a teacher, especially at this age.” “It’s just another band-aid for the real problem: there are not enough teachers,” he said. In 2024, a State Comptroller’s report denounced a shortage of English teachers and found that some 40% of the 19,000 English teachers in the public school system had not been formally trained. According to Zarviv, the ministry intends to invest in teachers so they can drive learning. “Our approach is: teachers first,” she told Haaretz. “Most of the budget is intended for training.” At the same time, a question remains about who will provide the devices for each middle schooler. According to the Education Ministry’s statement, Project 720 is conducted “in collaboration with leading figures from high-tech, industry, and academia,” as part of “a concerted effort to bridge the gap between the education system and the skills and competencies required in the future job market.” Asked which tech companies are involved in the project, the ministry declined to answer. Haaretz reported that Google and Microsoft have both been partners. | |
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