School computerization as a national task in Israel

Abstract

In Israel, the 1990's have been a decade of feverish innovative activity in education. From many points of view, this was not novel. Even before the founding of the state, Jewish education in what was then Palestine was conceived of as a revolution in consciousness. This revolution was founded on the aspiration to overthrow the limitations of the ghetto by instituting self-assured and independent young people. Schools were set up to actualize a living community through the revivification and revitalization of an ancient language-Hebrew. Since its founding, in 1948, with a commitment to in-migration of the 'exiles' from all parts of the Jewish Diaspora, the State of Israel has been on record as recognizing that education is an essential collective enterprise. Education was officially assigned the burden from the first of realizing a double goal: ensuring national solidarity and achieving social and economic progress. In many ways, therefore, 1998, the Jubilee year of the state, was seen as presenting a pointed query. The Ministry of Education interpreted its responsibility as that of having to come to terms with the needs of the 'second fifty years,' which will unfold as the new millennium gets underway. At the forefront of the enterprise designed to achieve wide-ranging educational aims, was the practical goal- the 'computerization' of all state schools. The initiative of the 90' s can be seen as a continuation of on-going efforts to ensure that schooling be adjusted to meet burgeoning needs. Thus the project of 'Mahar-98' was a logical outgrowth of educational policy in the country, as well as an expression of how the immediate context was construed. In order to understand this, it is important to sketch the evolution of education in the fifty-year history of the State.