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In his address at the closing of the Educational Conference at Tel Aviv University, Netanyahu presented his vision and program for education in Israel.  “Within ten years we can become first rate again on an international scale”, he contended. “If we believe in it, if we direct ourselves toward that goal, we can bring about this change even earlier.”

“The educational system has been in a decline for many years…In the sixties we were in the top ten percentile in the world and today we are in the fiftieth percentile. Even our outstanding students in mathematics only reached the fiftieth place and Iran has passed us, and not by a little.”

“Our problem is serious and requires a serious solution. Before we talk about money -  which always seems to be the answer- I want to focus on the problem. Although we certainly have to raise teachers’ salaries, this not the solution. We know that because in several countries where they raised teachers’ salaries, such as France, which tripled its investments in its pupils – the scores dropped and when you study these results closely, you find a certain consistency.”

The best idea is to learn from the success stories or in this case, from countries which have succeeded. Several things characterize these success stories, and we do not have them.

Improving the level of teaching

“The first thing is the level of teaching, because no educational system can be better than the level of the teachers it has. That is the first thing that makes countries successful; take for example, South Korea and Finland. In order to be accepted to teach, you have to be in the top ten percentile of your college graduating class. The prestige involved creates the attraction to new teachers. They take a narrow group of excellent people and upon this they build the second thing:

Investing resources in teacher training

There is an enormous investment in teacher training, before entering the profession and no less, after entering, said Netanyahu , and drew a parallel between a medical student and a teacher in Israel.

“I don’t know a single successful school in Israel where the principal is not outstanding. When that principal leaves,, its’ only a matter of time before the school begins to decline.  It is the same if you are speaking of a country, a corporation , a political party, or  a school. The executives/principals must be expert and they must be allowed to do their job; that means, more autonomy, more decentralization , and more freedom, said Netanyahu to the applause of his listeners.

Timely handling of problems

The third point, “ continued Netanyahu, “ is that all successful countries handle their weak students in a timely way; they don’t wait until the end of the year”. Netanyahu said that the investment in Finland in this area is tremendous. “Every pupil has a computer screen, and the teacher sees when a pupil can’t answer a question and will come to that pupil at the end of the lesson and sit and explain to him”.

Investing in the core curriculum

“Another point is investing in the core curriculum. We invest relatively little”, said Netanyahu referring to mathematics, composition, reading comprehension, and English. “The core curriculum requires a greater investment”.

Investing in teaching values to pupils

“The last item is values. When a child leaves school, you ask yourself “What kind of child emerges from the system. The question arises whether that child has learned other subjects, has he learned to use his full potential,” said Netanyahu and emphasized, “There is no education like self-discipline, the ability to develop by oneself a desire to learn . There are countries which develop these things, just as they cultivate respect for the teacher and discipline. The need to teach values is growing and the countries which succeed in education do teach values.”

“The goal I wish to achieve”, Netanyahu finished, “is that within ten years we will put the children of Israel back in the top ten percentile. If we set ourselves that goal, with faith and genuine enthusiasm, we can bring about this change even earlier  - and we intend to.”

This Sunday and Monday the south will come to Tel Aviv. A special event will take place at Hangar 11: over 150 businesses from the south from a wide array of industries such as footwear, clothing, office supplies, gifts, books and candies will arrive. Merchants of the south will present their merchandise at a fair for two days at the Tel Aviv port and hope to recover from their dismal moral and financial reality in the communities near Gaza, Sderot, Ashkelon, and Ashdod these days. The rockets that are disrupting the daily routine of the South’s residents are fatally damaging the livelihood of merchants and business owners in the area. Regulations for times of emergency that prohibit crowding of residents have led to this, and centers of commerce and shopping malls in the south have been closed now for a week. Residents are weary of leaving their homes, leaving only to buy basic staples as a result of the barrage of rockets over the area.

The event is produced in cooperation with the Ministry of Development of the Negev and the Galil, the port of Tel Aviv, and Hangar 11, who are all contributing their time and their establishments to the benefit free of charge. The success of the event is ultimately dependent on the willingness of the residents of the center of the country. You are all invited to come, to buy, and to support the businesses of the south. Show them that at a time when the state of Israel is fighting for their security, the Israeli public also stands behind them.

You are also invited to raise awareness about the event, spread the word, and recruit people to participate in this important initiative.