'Under half of students qualify for bagrut'

Education Ministry figures show slight drop in the percentage of Israeli students qualifying for the matriculation certificate.

By BEN HARTMAN
Standardized test 311 (photo credit: Thinkstock)
Standardized test 311
(photo credit: Thinkstock)
There was a slight drop in the percentage of Israeli students qualifying for the bagrut (matriculation) certificate between 2010-2011 and 2011-2012, according to figures the Education Ministry released on Wednesday.
According to the ministry, 48.1 percent of students in the Israeli system eligible to take the test qualified for a matriculation certificate, as opposed to 48.3% the year earlier. Last year’s number was the highest since 2004.
The figures indicate that among Jewish students, 65% qualified for a certificate last year, as opposed to 64.6% the year before.
A ministry spokesman made sure to point out on Wednesday that when students from east Jerusalem are taken out of the statistics, they indicate even better results.
Overall, the figures show that 38.3% of non-Jews attain a certificate, or 50.1% of non- Jews if east Jerusalem students are not counted – the highest figures for the non-Jewish sector in seven years.
Statistics were also significantly lower for haredi (ultra-Orthodox) students, 23.6% of whom took the exam, with only 17.4% qualifying for the certificate.
The figures were somewhat higher for immigrant students, with 53% qualifying over the past year, a slight drop from 53.2% the year before.
Female students continued to outperform their male classmates this year, with 62.6% qualifying for the certificate, as opposed to 52.3% of male students.
Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said Wednesday that when it comes to improving matriculation performance in Israel, his ministry “would not rest in pursuing this goal,” calling the figures the best way to determine improvement in the school system.