politics/economics
Israel's Education Status
The priorities laid out by the UN Global Education First Initiative are being exceeded by Israel in every respect. The priorities are laid out as follows: put every child in school, improve the quality of learning, and foster global citizenship (Priorities, n.d.). Israel demonstrates their competence in these areas in many different ways. Israel has a very well educated population. In fact, “Israel ranks second among OECD countries…for the percentage of 25-64 year-olds that have achieved tertiary education: 46%”(Logez, 2013). These statistics are encouraging because it shows that not only is a large portion of Israel able to complete mandatory schooling and advance to the next level of education, but also that tertiary education is attainable for a large portion of the population. With the cost of education being one of the biggest reasons for countries not having access to education for all, Israel has made it affordable and attainable. The status of higher education in Israel is not only a testament to the accessibility of tertiary education, but also to the exceptional primary and secondary schooling. The first priority, to put every child in school has been met by Israel. The intake ratio for primary school is over 100% and so is the primary completion rate (Indicators, 2014). This is proof that all Israeli children not only have access to an education, but they are receiving one. The second priority, to improve the quality of learning, is also being met.
In 2008 the New Horizon education reform was implemented in Israel. The reform increased government spending on primary students by 30% (Logez, 2013). The money was used to increase teachers’ salaries in an effort to increase “quality of students’ education by changing employment conditions and the current structure of studies” (Logez, 2013). Education spending is a way to achieve the second priority of the Global Education First Initiative, to improve the quality of learning. According to the Initiative, to increase the quality of education “we need a strong cohort of both female and male teachers who are paid well and respected in their communities” (Priorities, n.d.). This is exactly what the New Horizon Reform is for. This proves that not only is Israel meeting education standards, it is also doing all it can to improve its education system altogether. Literacy rates are a good indicator of the effectiveness of the education system, and thus are an effective way to analyze the quality of education. Israel had an adult literacy rate of 98% in 2011 (Indicators, 2014). The youth literacy rate for the same year was 100% (Indicators, 2014). This suggests that education in Israel has been excellent in the past, but has still improved in recent years. The third priority, to foster global citizenship, is the final piece of the Initiative that is being met by Israel. The statistics that prove this are misleading, because they don’t account for certain factors unique to Israel. For example, Israel has “the fourth highest proportion of 15-19 year-olds neither employed nor in education or training” (Logez, 2013). However in Israel there is mandatory military service for citizens ages 18-20, and the people in the military are counted in the numbers for unemployment. This means that the actual unemployment rate is extremely low because the majority of people who contributed to the statistics are in the military. This low rate of unemployment suggests that people are getting the knowledge and skills they need to face the challenges of the 21st century, which is an indicator of fostering global citizenship. Israel is leading the world in education. This is evidenced by their high literacy rates, high percentages of people seeking tertiary education, and low unemployment rates. All these statistics prove that Israel is expanding access to education, improving the quality of learning, and fostering global citizenship. This is the mark of a Nation that is exceeding expectations for education and will continue to do so in the future. |
This map shows the percentage of children of primary school age that are enrolled in primary school. The reason for the percentages over 100% is that students who are repeating a grade and are over the primary age are also counted. Israel has a percentage of 105%. Image and statistics (Indicators, 2014).
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Globalization
Israel's Oil Production: 5,839 bbl/day
Israel's Oil Consumption: 266,439 bbl/day
(Energy:Israel, n.d) and (U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis, n.d.)
Israel is not exporting any oil, in fact while Israel does produce some oil most of the consumed oil is imported from other countries, However that will probably change soon because the proven oil reserves in Israel have gone up. That indicates that there will probably soon be much more land dedicated to pumping oil than there was previously. The fact that Israel uses much more oil than it produces indicates that it is very dependent on other countries to meet its needs, but the fact that they will soon be able to produce much more oil is a good indicator that Israel will probably become more self-suffiicient and independent in the future. The large consumption shows that Israel has very good living conditions because they are able to afford to import this oil and people are able to get the oil once it is in the country. The land use is probably not currently dedicated to energy production but that will change with the increase in refineries that are bound to pop up to meet the demand for the newly discovered oil.
What Happens Next?
Israel's Oil Consumption: 266,439 bbl/day
(Energy:Israel, n.d) and (U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis, n.d.)
Israel is not exporting any oil, in fact while Israel does produce some oil most of the consumed oil is imported from other countries, However that will probably change soon because the proven oil reserves in Israel have gone up. That indicates that there will probably soon be much more land dedicated to pumping oil than there was previously. The fact that Israel uses much more oil than it produces indicates that it is very dependent on other countries to meet its needs, but the fact that they will soon be able to produce much more oil is a good indicator that Israel will probably become more self-suffiicient and independent in the future. The large consumption shows that Israel has very good living conditions because they are able to afford to import this oil and people are able to get the oil once it is in the country. The land use is probably not currently dedicated to energy production but that will change with the increase in refineries that are bound to pop up to meet the demand for the newly discovered oil.
What Happens Next?
- How will the increased self-sufficiency of Israel after the discovery of large oil reserves change Israel's interactions with surrounding countries?
- Will Israel's increased reserves allow it to export oil, or will its consumption increase to meet the supply?
Economy
According to the CIA Factbook, Israel has a “technologically advanced market economy.” That being said, Israel doesn’t have many natural resources, so instead they import resources and then manufacture advanced technology that is developed by the growing high-tech industry in Israel. This technology and also pharmaceuticals are then exported to many different countries, including those outside the Middle East. The fact that Israel has strong trade partners outside the Middle East is the reason for its strong and unwavering economy, even when surrounding countries are in the midst of economic downturns.
To gain a better idea of how Israel’s economy is faring in comparison to the rest of the Middle East, poverty rates is a good indicator. 21% of Israel’s population is living below the poverty line as compared to 19.5% in the United Arab Emirates, and 18.7% in Iran (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). When these numbers are shown it appears that a fifth of Israel’s population is living in poverty, and that the situation is even worse than it is in less developed countries like Iran. However these numbers are misleading, because the poverty line is set at $7.30 a day in Israel, which is to be expected of a developed nation. This shows that although the poverty rate appears high, it is because of a higher poverty line than surrounding countries.
Another helpful indicator of Israel’s economy is labor distribution. In Israel the majority of workers (80.3%) work in services, meaning that they work in economic activities that don’t produce material goods. This shows that what Israel needs most from its population is services, not agriculture which makes up only 1.6% of the workforce. Industry in Israel makes up 18.1% of the population, indicating that while it is not the most important, it is definitely necessary to Israel’s economy to be manufacturing goods (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). All these numbers indicate that Israel gets most of its goods through imports, and therefore does not rely on its working population to support itself. In contrast, Iran’s labor distribution is similar in industry and services, and agriculture also makes up a large part of the workforce. This implies that Iran relies mostly on itself for everything. The United Arab Emirates have a similar labor distribution to Israel, which could indicate that Israel and the United Arab Emirates are similar economically. This similarity could most likely be due to the fact that both are developed countries, and thus are more in the business of importing, exporting, and foreign relations than their neighbor Iran, which would mean they don’t have a need for their population to be working in the agriculture and industry portion of their economy as much as they require services.
Israel has an industrial growth rate of 5.5%, which is high in the Middle East when compared with Iran (-3.3%), and the United Arab Emirates (3.3%) (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). Because the industrial production contributes to GDP, a positive industrial growth rate would mean that the GDP will rise in the future. Having a positive growth rate is very important because GDP is among other things an indicator of economic success. With Israel leading the Middle East in industrial growth, it can continue to also lead in economic stability. Israel’s growth rate is also impressive when compared with countries such as Iran, who have negative industrial growth rates. Not only does this mean that surrounding countries are struggling, but that their economies are getting worse, while Israel’s is rising.
As previously mentioned, GDP is an extremely important indicator of economic stability. Israel’s GDP per capita is $36,000 per year (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). In comparison to the rest of the world Israel is ranked 37th, which is extremely high. Having such a high relative GDP indicates that the quality of life in Israel is better than most countries in the world. Not only does this mean that Israel is industrialized, it also means that it is a competitive world country whose quality of life is high by any standards.
To gain a better idea of how Israel’s economy is faring in comparison to the rest of the Middle East, poverty rates is a good indicator. 21% of Israel’s population is living below the poverty line as compared to 19.5% in the United Arab Emirates, and 18.7% in Iran (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). When these numbers are shown it appears that a fifth of Israel’s population is living in poverty, and that the situation is even worse than it is in less developed countries like Iran. However these numbers are misleading, because the poverty line is set at $7.30 a day in Israel, which is to be expected of a developed nation. This shows that although the poverty rate appears high, it is because of a higher poverty line than surrounding countries.
Another helpful indicator of Israel’s economy is labor distribution. In Israel the majority of workers (80.3%) work in services, meaning that they work in economic activities that don’t produce material goods. This shows that what Israel needs most from its population is services, not agriculture which makes up only 1.6% of the workforce. Industry in Israel makes up 18.1% of the population, indicating that while it is not the most important, it is definitely necessary to Israel’s economy to be manufacturing goods (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). All these numbers indicate that Israel gets most of its goods through imports, and therefore does not rely on its working population to support itself. In contrast, Iran’s labor distribution is similar in industry and services, and agriculture also makes up a large part of the workforce. This implies that Iran relies mostly on itself for everything. The United Arab Emirates have a similar labor distribution to Israel, which could indicate that Israel and the United Arab Emirates are similar economically. This similarity could most likely be due to the fact that both are developed countries, and thus are more in the business of importing, exporting, and foreign relations than their neighbor Iran, which would mean they don’t have a need for their population to be working in the agriculture and industry portion of their economy as much as they require services.
Israel has an industrial growth rate of 5.5%, which is high in the Middle East when compared with Iran (-3.3%), and the United Arab Emirates (3.3%) (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). Because the industrial production contributes to GDP, a positive industrial growth rate would mean that the GDP will rise in the future. Having a positive growth rate is very important because GDP is among other things an indicator of economic success. With Israel leading the Middle East in industrial growth, it can continue to also lead in economic stability. Israel’s growth rate is also impressive when compared with countries such as Iran, who have negative industrial growth rates. Not only does this mean that surrounding countries are struggling, but that their economies are getting worse, while Israel’s is rising.
As previously mentioned, GDP is an extremely important indicator of economic stability. Israel’s GDP per capita is $36,000 per year (Middle East: Israel, n.d.). In comparison to the rest of the world Israel is ranked 37th, which is extremely high. Having such a high relative GDP indicates that the quality of life in Israel is better than most countries in the world. Not only does this mean that Israel is industrialized, it also means that it is a competitive world country whose quality of life is high by any standards.
Citations
Image Citations:
Education Status Citations:
Government Newsletter Citations:
Globalization:
Economy:
Image Citations:
- Education at a Glance 2014. (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 17, 2014, from http://gpseducation.oecd.org/IndicatorExplorer?query=1&indicators
- Farhat, A. (2011, August 28). Mass social protests resume across Israel. Retrieved August 29, 2014, from http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2011/08/countries/israel/mass-social-protests-resume-across-israel
- Indicators. (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator#topic-4
Education Status Citations:
- Indicators. (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator#topic-4
- Logez, K., & Lalancette, D. (2013, January 1). Israel Education at a Glance 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.oecd.org/edu/Israel_EAG2013 Country Note.pdf
- Priorities. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2014, from http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/priorities.html
Government Newsletter Citations:
- Information About Israel: Government. (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://www.science.co.il/Government.php
- Israel Government & Politics: How Does the Israeli Government Work? (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Politics/how_govt_works.html
- The 33rd Government of Israel. (2013, January 1). Retrieved September 18, 2014, from http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/State/Government/Pages/The-33rd-Government-of-Israel.aspx#
Globalization:
- Energy: Israel. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html
- U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2014, from http://205.254.135.7/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=IS
Economy:
- ECONOMY: Sectors of the Israeli Economy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/Economy/Pages/ECONOMY- Sectors of the Economy.aspx
- Middle East: Israel. (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html