Despite high education investment, Israeli students receive less – OECD
Israeli expenditure on education as a share of GDP may now be among the highest in the developed world, but Israel still spends significantly less per student than most other countries, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Israel spends the equivalent of 6% of its GDP on primary to tertiary (post-secondary) education, the annual “Education at a Glance” 2019 report revealed. Total expenditure as a share of GDP increased by 8% between 2010 and 2016, the highest across all OECD countries.
Despite increased expenditure, Israel still spends less on education per student ($8,891) than most other OECD countries, which spend an average of $10,502 per student. Spending per student on tertiary education – including universities and colleges – stands at $11,153, significantly below the OECD average of $15,556.
National expenditure on primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education – primarily vocational training – increased by some 42% between 2010 and 2016, compared with just 5% on average across OECD countries.
Spending per student ($8,365), however, still remains below the OECD average of $9,357. Here, the failure to catch up with the OECD average is explained by the 14% increase in students during the same period, while the number of students remained stable across OECD countries. Israel is on course, the report said, to catch up with the OECD average if it