Adult Education
The rapid expansion of opportunities for adult education
reflects the challenges facing the education system and the society
at large. A wide range of courses sponsored by the Ministry of Education,
as well as by public and private institutions, address individual needs
ranging from learning the Hebrew language and upgrading basic educational
skills to promoting family wellbeing and expanding general knowledge,
while the Ministry of Labor provides vocational training and retraining
for adults in many fields. Most programs are available in the large
cities, as well as in many towns. All in all, adult education as a leisure
activity is becoming increasingly popular in Israel, especially among
senior citizens.
Hebrew language instruction on many levels, using
the speciallydeveloped ulpan method, helps immigrants and other
population groups to integrate into the mainstream of Israeli life.
Compensatory education, designed to reduce educational and cultural
disparities among adults in Israel, is tailored to the world of adult
learners to enable them to complete their formal education. Vocational
training courses, both in day and night classes, are available at centers
jointly operated by the Ministry of Labor and industrial enterprises,
as well as in institutions for technological and professional training.
The courses, lasting from a few weeks to one year, include basic instruction,
inservice and onthejobtraining, as well as the retraining
of academically and professionally trained adults (mainly immigrants)
whose professions are not in demand. Family instruction and guidance
programs aim at improving the quality of family and community life by
developing and enhancing family wellbeing.
"Popular universities" all over the country
offer hundreds of adult education classes and workshops in academic
subjects as well as the arts. Special radio broadcasts for immigrants
include a 'university on the air' program.
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