Chapter 20: National Policies and Practices on ICT in Education: Israel

Israel has placed great value on education as essential for the existence and prosperity of the nation since its establishment in 1948. Israel, a small country with about 6.3 million citizens (in 2001), sees the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in education as a means of securing the country’s future as an intellectually and socially advanced nation.

The Israeli education system is based on a law from the year 1949 mandating compulsory free education. Education is compulsory and free for all children from age three (kindergarten) to 15 (Grade 10) (and in the special education sector until the age of 21), and is free for Grades 11 and 12. Formal schooling spans ages six (Grade 1) to 18 (Grade 12). The vast majority of schools are part of the public education system. In the early 1970s a reform saw Grades 1 through 12 divided into three major levels: elementary, secondary (Grades 7 to 9), and upper-secondary schools (Grades 10 to 12). Pre-primary education encompasses ages three to six and includes municipal, public, and private institutions.