The initiative is called Project 720, and according to the ministry, the name \u201creflects its unique philosophy: 720 Degrees \u2014 representing 360 degrees around the student and 360 degrees around the teaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t \u201cWe are shifting from a one-size-fits-all teaching model to a reality where every student has the opportunity to learn in a way that suits them, while maintaining high academic standards and developing the skills required for a changing world,\u201d said Meirav Zarviv, deputy director general of the Innovation and Technology Administration, the ministry\u2019s branch responsible for the program, according to a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cSimultaneously, we provide teachers with advanced tools, data, and support, allowing them to focus on personal mentorship and pedagogical leadership,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n However, many questions remain unanswered.<\/p>\n The announcement comes a month after it emerged that only 22 percent of Israeli ninth graders met the requirements<\/a> of the English language curriculum in Israel in the exams conducted last year by the National Authority for Educational Measurement and Evaluation (RAMA).<\/p>\n \t The pilot for 28 schools was described by the ministry as \u201ca success,\u201d but no data have been released presenting the results. Contacted by The Times of Israel, the ministry said the pilot results are expected to be published by the end of July.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said via email that the pilot is being evaluated using a combination of pedagogical, emotional, and organizational indicators, including students\u2019 levels of motivation and independence and teachers\u2019 ability to provide personalized support.<\/p>\n In the upcoming school year, Project 720 will be implemented in 180 schools, expanding it to math and science.<\/p>\n At the same time, AI-assisted English instruction is set to reach all middle schools through a parallel program, English for Everyone. (The public school system includes the secular, national religious, and Arab education tracks, and only a limited number of Haredi schools.)<\/p>\n However, the ministry did not explain the specific timeline or logistics of the nationwide implementation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Project 720 and English for Everyone programs are part of the national initiative to integrate artificial intelligence into the education system and strengthen English-language instruction, with a total budget of approximately NIS 130 million [$45 million],\u201d the spokesperson told\u00a0 The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n Asked about digital infrastructure and teacher training, the ministry said that, for the moment, the program will rely on the digital infrastructure schools currently have, and teacher training will only begin at the start of the school year.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe programs will be implemented using the digital infrastructure already in place in schools,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cA selection process is currently underway to choose the digital systems and tools that will be used as part of the programs, and teacher training will begin at the start of the school year and continue throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a report by the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, the ministry plans to provide the necessary devices and infrastructure for all students and schools in Israel by the following school year, in cooperation with the Finance Ministry.<\/p>\n Is AI good for learning?<\/p>\n Netanyahu and Kisch both stressed the opportunities that learning with AI will offer Israeli children.<\/p>\n \u201cIsrael is one of the first countries that is starting to implement AI for personalized learning for every single pupil,\u201d the prime minister said.<\/p>\n However, a growing number of experts and studies worldwide<\/a> have increasingly pointed out that artificial intelligence and screen use do not help students advance their skills and can have detrimental effects.<\/p>\n \t A 2024 study by Columbia University researchers<\/a> published in the journal PLOS ONE suggested that middle school students learn better when they read a text from a book rather than from a screen.<\/p>\n A comprehensive report<\/a> released by the Center for Universal Education at the US think tank Brookings earlier this year found that, currently, the risks of learning with AI outweigh the potential advantages.<\/p>\n \u201cDecades of research in developmental science demonstrates that children\u2019s ability to learn \u2014 including in formal schooling \u2014 is shaped by the interconnected growth of their cognitive, social, and emotional capacities,\u201d reads the executive summary. \u201cThese domains are mutually reinforcing: language and executive-function skills support social interaction; emotional regulation influences attention and persistence; social relationships fuel motivation and meaning-making.\u201d<\/p>\n The report was compiled based on interviews, focus groups, and consultations with over 500 students, teachers, parents, education leaders, and technologists across 50 countries, and a review of over 400 studies.<\/p>\n \t The authors acknowledged that artificial intelligence can be used fruitfully for learning, but warned that \u201cultimately, we find that at this point in its trajectory, the risks of utilizing AI in education overshadow its benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is largely because the risks of AI differ in nature from its benefits\u2014that is, these risks undermine children\u2019s foundational development,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n In the past decade in the United States, the presence of devices in schools has become widespread, often provided by tech companies themselves (especially Google), which have seen it as a worthwhile investment both to broaden their markets and to hook in consumers when they are young. Yet as students\u2019 test scores and emotional well-being have steadily declined, many experts, schools, and teachers have begun to question<\/a> the practice of learning through screens.<\/p>\n \t Some Israeli experts who spoke with Haaretz also highlighted the problems of relying on technology for learning.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you ask a child if they prefer to learn a topic from a text or from a video, they will usually choose the video,\u201d Dr. Yishay Mor, head of the Artificial Intelligence and Education Program at the Beit Berl College, told Haaretz. \u201cBut if you test them, you will find they remember the content much better from the text and not from the video.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the potential risks of learning through screens, the ministry said it aims to find a balanced approach that includes teaching students about effective AI use, safety and digital literacy.<\/p>\n \u201cTechnology should serve pedagogy \u2014 not the other way around,\u201d a spokesperson said. \u201cThe ministry\u2019s guidelines call for a balance between digital learning and traditional learning methods, alongside breaks and physical activity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is important to distinguish between guided and supervised educational use and private, potentially distracting use,\u201d the spokesperson added. \u201cAccordingly, the ministry is also leading a policy aimed at reducing mobile phone use in schools.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s just another band-aid\u2019<\/p>\n For years, the education system has struggled with a shortage of qualified English teachers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe easiest thing is to throw the kids in front of screens,\u201d said an English teacher from northern Israel interviewed by Haaretz. \u201cThat\u2019s not how you learn a language. There is no substitute for learning in front of a teacher, especially at this age.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just another band-aid for the real problem: there are not enough teachers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In 2024, a State Comptroller\u2019s report denounced a shortage of English teachers<\/a> and found that some 40% of the 19,000 English teachers in the public school system had not been formally trained.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F260419MG10-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Children return to school following the ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah at Gamla Primary School in Katsrin, Golan Heights, on April 19, 2026. (Michael Giladi\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-14-at-10.35.571-640x400.jpeg\")
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\n\t\tEducation Minister Yoav Kisch (first row, second from the right) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (first row, third from the right) sit with students at the Dekel Vilnai Middle School in the settlement of Ma\u2019ale Adumim in the West Bank, to launch an AI-powered English language program on June 11, 2026. (Haim Zach \/ GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/iStock-2020287364-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIllustrative: Child using a tablet in school. (Djavan Rodriguez\/iStock)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP24183791541297-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tA sign is displayed on a Google building at its campus in Mountain View, California, on Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo\/Jeff Chiu)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F250901CG10-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tChildren arrive for the first day of school in Jerusalem, September 1, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/F250828YZ002-e1756702947604-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIsraeli children going into 1st grade, meeting with the new teacher ahead of the first day of the new academic year, at the Tali school in Jerusalem, August 28, 2025 (Yossi Zamir\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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