Why Does Israel Conduct Military Training of Students in Colleges?

Israeli schools are highly militarized these days. The goal is to recruit the young generations and prepare them from an early time. That being said, new studies and press reports are released daily talking to the military training in educational circles, especially in colleges in Israel.

But, why does Israel need military training for civilians, and why did they choose to conduct this with students? You’ll read all about this below.

It Instills the Desire to Develop in the Field

Thanks to military trainings, professional orientation is being carried out. Students learn about the importance of the military and that of protecting their country and family.

This builds a desire to develop in the military field. It’s an interesting topic, frequently debated in educational circles around the world. If you want to learn more about the development and strengths of the military, you can get some free ideas in the foundation of army leadership essay that speaks of this topic. This is one of the free essay samples online that every student can access. Online examples can create the foundation you need to debate on the topic.

Not only is this inserted in the actual curriculum, but professors are also urged to encourage their students to join the army and assist in confronting the crisis. The idea is to encourage students to join the program called “Israel”, which lasts for three years by providing them with guidance and basic military training.

The Ministry of Education and the Israeli army have signed numerous agreements to organize educational programs. The Ministry sends thousands of soldiers to schools to create and manage army basic training locations.

It Prepares Them for When They Grow Up

According to a New Profile report, Israeli schools recruit students from a very young age, even below 15 years old. This is more prominent in higher educational systems like colleges, but even younger students are encouraged to assimilate within the military nature.

Children and young adults in Israel are engaged in military exercises, partly as a volunteering activity, but also as a duty in the school. The Israeli Army and the Ministries of Education and War are running 2 broad programs directed to students. These are the Teacher Soldier and the Young Mentors program.

The idea in the first program is to train soldiers to become teachers of Arabic or Hebrew and strengthen the students in ways that will benefit the army. Basically, students are thought Arabic to use it later in the intelligence service.

The Young Mentors program, on the other hand, allows army soldiers to train and coordinate students to be physically prepared for military service. They also need to inform them of their obligation to adhere to military laws, wear the army uniform, and submit reports to their supervisors.

Basically, students are being prepared for the moment when they decide – or are required to join the army.

It Motivates Them to Fight for Their Country

The Ministry of Education’s program called The Next Generation is a project between the IDF and the Ministry. Its aim is to encourage young people to join combat units. To achieve this, they often get high-ranking IDF officers to the schools where they share their first-hand experiences to instill motivation in students to fight for their country.

It Includes Senior Officers in the Educational System

One of the most prominent images of the militarization in education in Israel is the hiring of senior reserve officers into important administrative positions in educational systems. These days, the management of educational institutions is done predominantly by military members with experience. The idea is to train the young people, but also to rehabilitate intelligence officers and retired army and join forces to shape the young minds.

The project ‘Staff’  has already graduated 300 officers and placed them into schools. Some of them were immediately appointed to manage schools while others have undergone a year of training to get a license to teach.

The New Program

Not so long ago, the military got the permission to install computer systems and security to any building they choose, and screen employees in schools. The Israeli army issued a request for university bids for the right to host a military academic program, one available for the first time. As a result, academic institutions will have to allow the army to create de facto bases on their campuses for training the college students.

This is the Havatzalot program, an elite program for future intelligence officers. It’s aimed toward college and university students and is hosted by the University of Haifa. Compared to 14 years ago, the documents issued in 2022 are much more demanding and give the army more rights and freedom to intervene in content, personnel and conditions.

Author bio

Helen Birk is a content writer with a degree in Politics. As such, her job is to help students write on political topics. She crafts their essays, creates their research papers, and frequently contributes to historical and political blogs online.