Who is to blame for the fact that many high school students did not receive certificates, and that the next school year will probably not start on time?
Prof. Haim Shaked, Chairman of the Presidents of the Colleges of Education, believes in his article ("Do Teachers Really Deserve a Pay Increase?", Israel Hayom, 22.06) that the Finance Ministry is to blame because it did not give in to Ran Erez's salary demands. Shaked's explanation is heard in every dispute towards a wage agreement: there is a shortage of teachers, certainly good teachers, and without high wages they will not come. Shaked has no demands from the teachers' union in return for a salary increase. Ran Erez's arguments are recited by those in charge of developing teachers into the system.
Shaked's conclusions are not even derived from his own analysis. First, if we want to attract quality young people to education, we should reward the beginning teachers, not the veterans.
The school year opens // Archive photo: Moshe Ben-Simhon, Yaniv Zohar
The claim that teachers' salaries in Israel are lower than those of teachers in OECD countries is only partially correct – according to data from the Knesset Research and Information Center, beginning teachers at all stages of education do indeed earn less than their counterparts in the OECD, but veteran teachers in Israel earn above the OECD average. The reason for this is that seniority in determining wages in Israel is higher than average – veteran teachers earn about 90% more than beginning teachers, even though studies show that bringing in quality personnel requires a good starting salary, not a high salary at the end of their careers.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average salary of high school teachers in 2021 was NIS 16,640, well above the average wage in the economy. Those over the age of 55 earn an average of NIS 22,200 – a handsome salary by all accounts. Even if wages need to rise to improve the quality of teaching, it should be done wisely.
Prof. Shaked himself wrote that there is a great shortage, especially of English, math and science teachers, but the obvious conclusion is that wages should be raised in professions where teachers have better earning opportunities outside, and not that wages should be raised for everyone equally. The person who strongly opposes a tailored salary increase for these teachers is Ran Erez.
When wages don't reward quality or investment, you get less quality and less investment. Every teacher knows that there is a large gap between teachers – apart from the quality gaps, some of them take on demanding management roles that are not sufficiently rewarded, and therefore difficult to fill. Moreover, a good teacher who leads his students to good achievements will not be rewarded for it personally. Why would someone with good abilities come to teach, invest and survive, when someone next to her would receive the same salary with zero effort?
In order for the upcoming salary agreement to improve the quality of teaching, we must demand that all parties insist on the following principles: reducing the wage gap between beginners and veterans, salary increases in professions where there is a shortage, greater compensation for positions and bonuses for success, and simplifying the process of firing those who are not suitable. A sweeping increase for all teachers will not help, just as it did not in previous wage agreements, but will be the result of laziness and fixation.
The writer is Head of Education Policy at Kohelet Forum
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