Fewer than half of all 18-year-old high school students in Israel are eligible for “Bagrut,” or matriculation, according to data presented by the Education Ministry on Wednesday.
The finding that just 48.1% of students completed their matriculation during the 2011 school year drew criticism from teachers and administrators, who called for reforms to the structure of testing.
Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar tried to put a positive spin on the data, however, noting slight increases in eligibility among (secular and national-religious) Jews and non-Jews and arguing that figures for the ultra-Orthodox sector skewed the overall picture. Among Haredi students, only 8.1% were eligible for matriculation last year — compared to 65% for other Jews and 38.2% for non-Jews.
Many students who do not complete their Bagrut in high school choose to do so afterward, usually during their military service, before applying to university.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
