Bibi: Schools should teach Ben Gurion, not Nakba

Netanyahu promises educational revolution: Opposition leader says he can put Israel in global top 10, says teachers should receive higher salaries, schools should focus on teaching Ben Gurion rather than Palestinian Nakba

Niv Lillian|Published: 08.26.08 , 20:34

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday that he intends to lead a revolution in Israel's education system in a bid to upgrade it dramatically. Speaking at a conference in Holon, south of oTel Aviv, Netanyahu stressed his commitment to the issue and declared that his aim was to advance Israel into the global top 10 in education.

The opposition leader also claimed that education should go back to the basics and focus on Zionist themes. He called for the school system to teach students about Zionist leaders such as Ben Gurion and Jabotinsky and "take out the Nakba."

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The Likud leader, who polls say is among the front-runners for the post of next prime minister, claimed that the key to his initiative was to boost the salaries of teachers who physically instruct students, rather then bureaucratic officials. He stressed that more prestige should be bestowed upon the teaching profession in Israel in order to facilitate the revolution he proposes.

Netanyahu presented examples from different countries showing how the elevation of admittance levels to teacher colleges improved the quality of teacher who went on to complete internships before receiving a teaching certificate.

Netanyahu said that in his view, a teacher who undergoes this type of extensive training would command more respect and admiration from Other factors affecting the level of education in Israel, Netanyahu said, include the amount of independence enjoyed by principals, the amount of effort invested in the promotion of struggling students, and the importance ascribed to the teaching of basic subjects such as English and math.