The State Comptroller Office warned in a new report published Tuesday that Israel’s higher-education system is neglecting teaching quality in favor of research and called for a fundamental shift in mindset across the Council for Higher Education (CHE), as well as individual institutions.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman emphasized that improving teaching should not be secondary to research and urged the CHE and its Planning and Budgeting Committee to allocate specific budgets, appoint coordinating bodies, and set updated standards for teaching quality.
The survey period for the report was from July 2022 until October 2023, and completions were made at the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.
Quality teaching and the budget
Teaching makes up 40% of the budget for higher education. Research shows that the larger the classes have become, the less satisfaction was reported, including achievements by students.
Smaller classes allow for more active learning and interactions with the instructor and fellow students, along with a supportive learning environment. The report found that, when it comes to budgeting, the factor of quality teaching is not taken into account enough.
It also found that institutions did not effectively use promotions to encourage higher teaching quality.
Professors were interviewed by the Comptroller’s Office for the report.
One of them said that “given the teaching workload that exists in universities, the expectation to deliver a certain amount of papers and research grants, and to participate in civil activities within the institution makes it impossible to give the proper attention needed to refresh courses.”
They added, “Simply lowering the teaching workload would free up time to do so, while also incorporating an advisory buddy system for professors who are struggling and also prioritizing promotions.”
Many also noted that the teacher training workshops that are offered are sparse and not enough – certainly not to properly get creative about course renewal and improvement.
“We are evaluated solely upon the amount of papers we publish... That makes it impossible to enhance teaching quality,” one of them said.
Solutions at the institutional level
At the institutional level, Englman recommended investing in teaching-enhancement centers, providing continuous professional development, rewarding lecturers who innovate, and making teaching excellence a central factor in promotions.
Despite nearly doubling the higher-education budget over the past decade, spending and structural support for teaching still lag behind research, which ultimately threatens the quality and relevance of academic instruction in Israel.
The state comptroller determined that the CHE and Israel’s higher-education institutions must undergo a fundamental shift in mindset: they must focus not only on academic research but also on strengthening academic teaching and embracing opportunities for innovation in instruction.
Improving teaching “should not be regarded as secondary in importance to advancing academic research,” he said.
He further noted that at the level of the CHE and the PBC, this must be reflected in budget allocations dedicated to teaching quality, practical interfaces with institutions, and the setting and monitoring of updated, relevant standards in teaching quality.
Englman urged that presidents of institutions, in cooperation with teaching centers, adopt a range of reliable evaluation tools for measuring lecturers’ teaching skills to build trust and cooperation.
The CHE, in response, welcomed the Comptroller's report, and said its staff would study it in-depth.
It added that it had indeed initiated a program in April 2024 called “Academia 360,” an open call for proposals aimed at encouraging teaching innovation, and to provide alumni with the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. The program was backed up by an NIS 200m. grant for four years (until 2028).
“Quality of teaching is one of the most important values to the CHE, and it will continue to advance more programming on the matter,” it said.