Strike That!

The worst thing you could say to a university student in Israel is the word “strike”. It sends shivers down the spine and immediately conjures up images of the long hot days of summer spent in classrooms instead of at the beach. Most students spend their year in university praying that they will be able to finish out the semesters without the university becoming battleground of a political power struggle.

I agree 110% with the claim that the educational system in Israel, particularly the higher education system, is in dire need of a massive if not complete overhaul. High school students, for example, are not taught to think for themselves or outside the box, but instead to copy word for word what the teacher has written on the board. They are taught and learn for the matriculation exams at the end of the year, and not much more than that.

In universities, the problem is twofold. On the one hand, there are the professors who are seriously underpaid and overworked. This has led to a phenomenon known as “The Brain Drain”- if Israeli institutions can not amply compensate academics for their research and work, they look elsewhere for employment. However, on the other hand, students won’t allow the universities to raise tuition, claiming that there would be many students who would not be able to find the means with which to pay that amount of tuition. Thus, there would be a situation where only a limited number of people would seek out the opportunity to further their education. This too, would lead to a type of “Brain Drain”.

How can we solve such a problem? Both the national student union organization and the union of university professors have turned to the overused form of freedom of expression and opposition- a strike. Though I personally abhor the usage of such means since it generally disrupts my personal plans, I do not think that in general it helps promote the cause that the two factions are fighting for in any way. In other words, it doesn’t help anyone and ends up hurting everyone. We have to find a different means to achieve the objectives we are aiming to achieve.

Part of the problem is the students’ ambivalence towards finding a long term solution. Many students do not care about the system as a whole, they are just interested in finishing their three (sometimes four or even five) years, and graduating. University is just a stepping stone in the grand scheme of things. If people were to understand the importance of the university institution, maybe they would be able to come up with a suitable long lasting solution that would benefit everyone- students, professors, the national treasury and the state.

We can not afford to have this situation where the educational system is hanging in the air. Israel has not many natural resources, yet it is known as a major resource in research and technology throughout the world. If this condition continues, Israel will no longer be able to be at the forefront of technological development.

Do I have an idea for a long term solution that would please, at least partially, all the parties involved? No. However, I do recognize the importance of finding such a solution to this problem, and that is already half the job.