Education minister warns against dangers of outmoded school system
“The State of Israel will soon become irrelevant as knowledge is available on the smartphone and on Google at any given moment,” he said.
By DANIELLE ZIRI
The main threat that Israel faces today is an education system that is not adapted to the 21st century, Education Minister Shai Piron said at the Sderot Conference on Wednesday.“If we do not recognize the need to change the structure of learning, we are endangering and threatening the security of the State of Israel,” Piron said. “This threat becomes even more important today, as the education system – more than any other system – is a convergence point for Israeli society.”Earlier this year, during a conference at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, the minister stressed the importance of updating the system and said that the reason why it has not been done yet has to do with the fact that politicians don’t tend to undertake projects such as this one which, he claimed,“will take 15 years.”Piron also pledged on Wednesday to “create a strong public education system” which will “change the existing structure of learning, strengthen education, allow the expression of a variety of opinions and strengthen the integration of children with special needs in regular society.”“This system will give each and every child the excellent education he deserves,” he added.The minister also reiterated his commitment to empower teachers and allow them to “teach and educate” as well as “talk about morals, ethics, values.”“Knowledge is available on the smartphone and on Google at any given moment. Teachers have lost their central role,” he said.