Israeli Plans for the Future of Education under Neoliberal Policy, Identity-building, Religiosity, Zionism, Militarisation

This study assesses neoliberal policies in Israel, particularly in the education sector. It highlights how these policies have led to the reconstruction of the education system in Israel, preparing individuals to enter the free market and the information technology economy, to adopt the values of individual freedom, self-realisation and personal success to the point of ultra-individualism and social Darwinism, to delineate the Zionist consensus by establishing the convictions and values of the religious and settler right in Israel. It finally attempts to make predictions about two central issues for the coming decades: improving the quality of education as a fundamental driver of economic growth and the ongoing reinforcement of nationalist-religious content in curricula and supporting educational frameworks that accord with this ideology.

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Abstract

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This study assesses neoliberal policies in Israel, particularly in the education sector. It highlights how these policies have led to the reconstruction of the education system in Israel, preparing individuals to enter the free market and the information technology economy, to adopt the values of individual freedom, self-realisation and personal success to the point of ultra-individualism and social Darwinism, to delineate the Zionist consensus by establishing the convictions and values of the religious and settler right in Israel. It finally attempts to make predictions about two central issues for the coming decades: improving the quality of education as a fundamental driver of economic growth and the ongoing reinforcement of nationalist-religious content in curricula and supporting educational frameworks that accord with this ideology.

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