Teach Our Children

TEACH OUR CHILDREN by Shalom Pollack

Israeli Student Scores Fall in International Test, While Arabs’ Scores Drop the Most

The gaps between Jewish and Arab students were particularly glaring, with the Arab failure rate more than double the Jewish one

The above "Haaretz" newspaper headline is at the top of the news today particularly in Leftists print and electronic media.At first glance, this is yet another example of institutionalized Israeli (Jewish) discrimination against Israel's Arab population.How is it that the Arab sector is so far behind the Jewish one?

That is indeed a very interesting question.
The obvious accusation would be discriminatory funding for Arab education in Israel.

Well, that is not it. Budgets for Arab education has been conspicuously very high - higher than Jewish students per capita.Arab participation in higher education had risen much in recent years. The Arab enrollment in the Technion and Haifa University is indicative of this trend; around thirty percent of the students are Arab. Other universities are similar.Remember, the Arab population of Israel is around twenty one percent.

Contrast this with the ‘blazing’ headline in the JPost: 

 “Deficient education and demographics —Massive reform - with no more exemptions for Haredim - is urgently needed

(Skewed opinion, prejudicial?)

Indeed they are given preferential consideration in order to raise the number of Arab students and to maintain their performance.

In other words, they are pushed into the universities.So why indeed do the Arab children fall behind their Jewish counterparts in Israel?

Israel as a country falls in the middle range of the eighty countries in the "OECD" group - the more advanced countries of the world.Israel would rate much higher on this list if not for the Arab sector that brings down the average level of Israeli academic achievement.

Let us take a look around the Arab world. None of the many Arab countries come close to Israel's ranking and achievement even with the Arab sector weighing it down.One wonders, is there something about Arab society as reflected in all the Arab countries that do not lend themselves to academic achievement.Perhaps the various political structures or investment in education or physical facilities in the Arab lands may shed light on the answer?

There are some poor and there are some super-rich Arab countries where funding is not an issue; similar to the huge budgets allocated in Israel for the Arab sector.Yet the Arab world lies at the bottom of the scale of academic achievement as do Israeli Arabs.

Isn't it interesting that in every part of the world, Jews are at the top of academic achievement?
Percentages of Jewish success in every population (if allowed to compete) is simply off the charts. This is truly a unique phenomenon today as it is historically. Simply some parts of the world are known for intellectual ability while others are less.

The case at hand is the Arab world but there are others.

Repeated studies have shed light on the IQ levels of different ethnic groups. Jews are always on or near the top.

This is what research has found. It simply validates what is clearly observable in our daily lives. The "People of the Book" are indeed just that. Studies validate it.

Maybe a part of the huge amount of money is being misspent in the Arab sector. This would not be an exception to the rule. Perhaps the famous patrimony, clan interests, and corruption are where some of the funds disappear?

Maybe?
Perhaps the culture of a zeal for learning for which the Jewish people are famous is less pronounced in Arab culture.

Maybe the Jewish parent has something to do with results?
Or maybe Jews are just smart?

Did I really say that?