Israel - Nonformal Education

Nonformal education includes both activities outside of school programs and unrelated to them, and those sponsored by the schools in addition to regular instruction, for instance, extracurricular activities. Israel's informal education outside of the schools consists mainly of the youth movements sponsored by the various political parties. These youth groups are funded and supported by the parties who provide the national leadership that keeps them unified. These are not educational groups in the academic sense, but do encourage knowledge of national and international issues as well as political ideology. Youth who join are usually older children and teens. The youth movements offer a variety of activities and programs including games and sports, arts activities, and social events. Some movements also offer academic support programs for students who need help with school work. There are some nonpolitical youth movements along with other informal educational programs targeting youth who get in trouble with the law, those with special health needs, and similar groups.

Extracurricular activities are sponsored by the schools to offer students enrichment beyond the academic curriculum. These activities allow students to develop their interests and talents in areas beyond academic subjects. The activities offered do not presume any political affiliation; their unstructured nature offers students opportunities to excel in areas other than the strictly academic ones offered in the formal school programs. There are clubs for arts, entertainment, student councils or committees, newspapers, and yearbooks.

According to Cohen and Schmida, the schools' programs of "complementary education" were developed to address the increasing diversity of the student body after the founding of the state of Israel. In addition, the schools developed informal programs as part of their overall goal of helping large numbers of immigrants feel comfortable in Israeli society. A variety of different agencies within the Ministry of Education and Culture oversee the programs that are offered in conjunction with the schools.

With respect to distance learning, the major developments in Israel have been in higher education. Bar-Ilan University offers courses through its Virtual Jewish University via the Internet. These courses are part of the regular credit offerings at Bar-Ilan, but are also open to students around the world through the World Wide Web. Bar-Ilan is working to also offer these courses through universities in both the United States and Canada.

The Open University has been the other main source of distance learning in Israel, offering courses through computer connections since 1994, according to Sopova. The Open University uses satellite connections, video systems, and computers to offer courses across Israel. Its course materials are developed by faculty of the Open University and other institutions, and its regional or local study centers are located in public schools across the country, making it a highly cost-effective and efficient system. The further advantage of distance education of this kind that makes use of interactive computer technology (chat rooms, bulletin boards, and other similar devices) is that it allows students in various countries and across otherwise closed borders to meet and exchange ideas, albeit in a virtual setting.