Eligibility for matriculation certificate

The low rates of eligibility within the haredi sector lowered the overall average among Jerusalem students.

By INBAL DORON
Eligibility for matriculation certificate 370 (photo credit: Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies )
Eligibility for matriculation certificate 370
(photo credit: Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies )
Thousands of students throughout the country are studying vigorously and preparing to take the Education Ministry’s matriculation exams to qualify for a high-school diploma.
Statistics indicate that a direct correlation exists between the socioeconomic status of a population and eligibility for a matriculation certificate. The higher the socioeconomic status is, the higher the rate of eligibility. In localities (of more than 10,000 residents) where the population had a high socioeconomic status, 66 percent of 12th-grade students were eligible for matriculation certificates in the 2009-10 school year. This figure fell to 64% in localities where the population was of middle socioeconomic status, and to 51% in localities where the population was of low socioeconomic status. The average percentage across the country was 59%. (The classification of socioeconomic status is based on the Nurture Index as calculated by the Education Ministry.)
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According to Jerusalem Municipality data for 2009-10, 12thgrade students (in the state, state-religious, independent haredi, and municipal Arab education systems) who were residents of Jerusalem numbered 5,900, of whom 88% studied in the city. A total of 77% of 12th-grade students who lived in the city took the high-school matriculation exam.
Among schools in the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) education system (those schools that participate in the high school matriculation exams, excluding schools with an independent curriculum), 39% of 12th-grade students took the matriculation exams. Eligibility for a matriculation certificate within the haredi education system measured 11% of all 12th-grade students in schools that participate in the exams.
The percentage of eligibility for a matriculation certificate among all 12th-grade students in Jerusalem in 2009-10 was 46%. This figure includes all education and population sectors in the capital, among which there are significant discrepancies. The low rates of eligibility within the haredi sector lowered the overall average among Jerusalem students.
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