It's hard to be a thinking person in Israel today. The kids' test scores prove it

Teachers should teach the thirst for knowledge, but we're letting 'the situation' – the eternal daily security problems – get in the way

Haaretz
75
2 min read
0 views
It's hard to be a thinking person in Israel today. The kids' test scores prove it

Teachers should teach the thirst for knowledge, but we're letting 'the situation' – the eternal daily security problems – get in the way

Sharon Kantor

09:44 PM • July 03 2026 IDT

Israel is consciously making itself dumber. This week, the media reported that Israeli students ranked last (or next to last) among students in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Loading...

Click the alert icon to follow topics:

Israel education

OECD

Comments

Loading...

In the News

In the News:

Live UpdatesTwo-state SolutionMelat KirosChatGPTSerj TankianHaQuizHaaretz Podcast

Students and adults at Tel Aviv's Amos Oz High School (who aren't mentioned in this article).

It's Hard to Be a Thinking Person in Israel. The Kids' Test Scores Prove It

A Komodo dragon yawning on Rinca Island, Indonesia.

New Theory of Smallest Human: Not a Hunter, but Eater of Lizard Leftovers

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (center) and Speaker of the Islamic Parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (left) in Switzerland, Sunday.

Netanyahu Denies Report That Israel Was Plotting to Kill Iran's Top Negotiators

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Yuli Edelstein, in the Knesset last year.

Top Netanyahu Rival Within Likud Says He Will Not Run in Party's Primary

Zini in Jerusalem, last year.

Shin Bet's Zini Reprimanded for Wife's Contact With Employees' Spouses

POG - POWER OF GIVING  2025

Remembering and rebuilding two years later

ICYMI

Qatar's emir arrives in Algeria, March 2024. In red: An Elbit defense system.

Advanced Israeli Systems Sold to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Documents and Images Show

Israel 2026 Election Poll Tracker: The Latest Projections

103 Nails on the Map: How Israel's Government Is Burying the Two-state Solution

Iranian team fans.

Arab World Erupts Over Egypt–Iran LGBT 'Pride Match' in Seattle

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in an interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl, on Sunday.

Top Israeli Diplomats Accuse Mamdani of Antisemitism Over 'Jewish State' Remark

Children placing flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan in April to mark the 111th anniversary of the massacre.

Netanyahu Trolls Trump and Turkey: Why Israel Recognized the Armenian Genocide

Original Source

Haaretz

Share this article

Related Articles

Iran opens Khamenei funeral ceremonies with calls for 'revenge, death to America'
🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs Palestine
The Jerusalem Post

Iran opens Khamenei funeral ceremonies with calls for 'revenge, death to America'

Iran is seeking to mobilize millions of mourners for Khamenei’s week long funeral processions across Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Kerbala, and Mashhad.

लगभग १ घंटा पहले3 min
Pakistan ends sales tax on sanitary products in fight against period poverty
🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs Palestine
Middle East Eye

Pakistan ends sales tax on sanitary products in fight against period poverty

Pakistan ends sales tax on sanitary products in fight against period poverty Submitted by Florence Ingleby on Thu, 07/02/2026 - 10:00 The move to abolish the 18 percent tax is a signi

लगभग ३ घंटे पहले8 min
Hamas executes Gazan for 'collaborating' with Israeli intelligence - report
🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs Palestine
The Jerusalem Post

Hamas executes Gazan for 'collaborating' with Israeli intelligence - report

Hamas sources said that the man confessed to the charges immediately after his arrest following the assassination of Hamas commander Izz al-Din Haddad.

लगभग ३ घंटे पहले3 min
Key takeaways from Round of 32 stage at World Cup 2026
🇮🇱🇵🇸Israel vs Palestine
Al Jazeera English

Key takeaways from Round of 32 stage at World Cup 2026

A thrilling Golden Boot race hots up, France in scintillating form, and Messi and Argentina squeak past Cape Verde.

लगभग ३ घंटे पहले5 min