Israel teaches students how to vote, but not how to make an informed political choice - opinion

Israeli students are being asked to consider who they should vote for, but an Education Ministry worksheet does not show them how to reach an informed answer, according to this opinion piece.

The worksheet, titled “Who should I vote for?”, uses a QR code and asks students to rank the qualities they want in a political party and a Knesset member. The authors call that a useful starting point, but say it stops before the questions young voters most need to answer: which party reflects their priorities, where to find reliable information and how to judge promises against a party’s record.

The material does not ask students to compare platforms, assess the reliability of sources, identify manipulation or weigh competing evidence. An Israel Democracy Institute analysis of election materials found the same gap ahead of the election for the 26th Knesset. First-time voters will make up about 10% of Israel’s eligible electorate, while students still in school may have few opportunities to practise political judgment in a structured setting.

The Education Ministry encourages mock elections, lessons about civic participation and teaching on the importance of voting. Partisan campaigning is prohibited, and schools are expected to present a range of views. Party panels offer one way to do that, but their value divides the public, particularly across religious groups whose children often attend separate school systems.

An Israel Democracy Institute survey conducted in July 2026 found that 27% of Israeli adults wanted schools to avoid election-related topics. Another 34% preferred teaching only the formal voting process, while 33% supported open discussion of parties’ positions on major issues. The authors argue that teaching students how to vote is not enough. Schools must also help them make a political choice they can understand and stand behind.