Trends of diversification and expansion in Israeli higher education

Abstract

Abstract. Israeli higher education faces in the last decade growing pressures to alter the elitistic homogeneity of its universities and to enhance greater diversity of academic styles and traditions. Some calls for reform advocate the implementation of changes into the existing institutions, while others argue for establishing totally new higher education frameworks, both private and public. This paper discusses the emerging changes in the Israeli higher education in the broader context of trends and developments in higher education systems in other parts of the world.

Field of Study and Students' Stratification in an Expanded System of Higher Education: The Case of Israel

“…They show that privileged groups know how to classify new opportunities, and choose those that are expected to carry significant social rewards. In fact, the private colleges, which were established as a response to the demand of sons and daughters of privileged parents to study lucrative professions (Guri-Rosenblit, 1993), ensure, by charging high tuition fees, the economic profile of their students.…”

Nominal and positional perspectives on educational stratification in Israel

“…The transformation began in the late 1970s with the academization of several small teacher training institutions and it gained momentum in the mid-1990s with legislation that accredited and expanded the number of undergraduate colleges. The initiative was taken in anticipation of a growing demand for higher education owing to massive immigration from the former Soviet Union, a significant increase in the number of high-school graduates, and rising demand for university graduates in the labor market (Guri-Rozenblit, 1993). Like the veteran universities, the public and private colleges require applicants to hold a matriculation certificate, and some also demand psychometric tests, but their admission criteria are lower than those of the universities.…”

English as a gatekeeper: Inequality between Jews and Arabs in access to higher education in Israel

“…The decision to expand higher education was made by the Israeli Council for Higher Education (CHE) in the early 1990s, in response to the growing demand for it following demographic changes (such as mass immigration), a significant increase in the number of high school matriculants, and the credentialing trends of the labor market (Guri-Rosenblit, 1993). Unlike the universities, which are all publicly supported, some of the colleges are privately owned.…”