Israeli students to speak better English?
Officials introduce measures aimed at raising English level at academic institutions
The Council for Higher Education has passed a series of reforms aimed at raising university students' level of English, Ynet has learned.
The reforms set tougher standards for acceptance into academic institutions, including higher score requirements for high school English and standardized tests. Moreover, students will be required to take English starting in their first semester.
Related stories:
- Recommendation: Shut down 'leftist' department
Young Jews teach Israeli youth English
Magazine: I not speak English
The changes are to go into effect with the start of the next academic year.
Students at Ben Gurion University (Photo: Eliad Levy)
The reforms come in response to recent findings indicating that the scope of English taught in Israeli universities and colleges has diminished over the past few years. The Council learned that some academic institutions do not set a basic level of English as a requirement for acceptance, and even grant degrees to students who have not gained the requisite command of the language.
The Council decided that potential students' English level should be assessed solely based on standardized language tests – a rule that is to apply to all higher learning institutions in the country. Schools would be allowed to set tougher criteria than those required by the council.
As per the decision, students whose high school English grade is lower than 85 could be accepted to a university, but they would be put on academic probation. If they do not reach a basic level of English until the end of the first semester, they are to be expelled from the program.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
