ISRAEL: Higher education budget gets 30% raise

Israel's higher education budget will be increased by 30% and amount to a total of NIS7.5 billion (roughly $1.9 billion) in the coming six years, writes Yael Branovsky for YNet News.

The annual budget will be raised gradually, from NIS767 million (roughly $200 million) in the first year to NIS2.3 billion in the sixth year.

Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said the government was taking the cuts from the defence budget and putting 40% of it towards reform in higher education. Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar said NIS500 million would be put towards making higher education more accessible to Haredim and Arabs.
Full report on the YNet News site

Tomer Velmer of YNet News writes that a recent report by the OECD painted a grim picture of the state of Israeli education. According to the OECD annual education report, which reviewed the years 2007-08, Israel's average investment in students increased by only 8% between 1995 and 2007, while the OECD average is 42%. Nevertheless, Israel has one of the highest high school graduation rates among OECD members - 10% above average.
Full report on YNet News site