The education system is hemorrhaging teachers, while the last weeks of the school year were disrupted by a teacher strike over pay. Amidst this crisis in the field of education in Israel, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is announcing the establishment of a new school of education.
The new school will combine three existing units: The Department of Education, the Unit for the Advancement of Educational Professionalism, and the Program of Science and Technology Education. The school consolidates Ben-Gurion University's expertise into one overarching unit, which will enable better training for new teachers. The new school will also recruit more faculty who focus on teacher education and research on teaching and teacher training.
The school will offer combined programs of a teaching certificate with a B.A or an M.A degree.
Prof. Tehila Kogut, the newly appointed head of the School of Education says: "We expect that the newly established School of Education and the recruitment of excellent new faculty members in the field of teacher education will contribute to teaching and research in the field, will enhance research collaborations, and will enable us to develop advanced degrees in education and teaching. The establishment of this school signals our commitment to improving teacher training at the University."
"Working together with
faculty of the Department of Education, we find ourselves now among wonderful
partners with whom we can work together and not only retain the unique identity
of the former Program for Science and Technology Education but also deepen our
mission and develop it in new directions," says Prof. Michael Fried, head of the program at Ben-Gurion University.
"The staff of the Unit for the Advancement of Educational Professionalism is pleased and moved by the establishment of the School of Education, which will include professional training of, and development of programs for, teachers in the Negev. Integrating teacher training within the School of Education will enable us to recruit faculty members with practical and academic expertise in teacher education. Thus, we can develop and implement an advanced training philosophy, attuned to the diversity of the population in the Negev, and based on cutting edge academic research. We believe that this process will deepen the connection between academia and the field of education and contribute to the education system in the Negev. We wish all of us good luck!" concluded Dr. Dana Vedder-Weiss, Head of the Unit for the Advancement of Educational Professionalism.
