Government funding for Israeli universities amounts to $500-
800 per month per student according to figures released last
month. In comparison, the state allocates $115 per month for
every student in a yeshiva gedoloh and $142 per month
for every avreich kollel. This is before the recent
drastic cutbacks.
According to a report produced by Dun & Bradstreet, the
government allocations comprise a substantial portion of
university income. The three leading institutions--the Hebrew
University, the University of Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion
University--receive "hefty allocations comprising half [of
their total budgets] and more." The company notes that most
state assistance is transferred directly to the institutions
and in some cases is earmarked for specific purposes.
According to a simple analysis of the figures, total per-
student funding at the universities and other institutions of
higher education is five times higher than per-student
funding for yeshiva students. The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem enjoys particularly generous funding: government
allocations there total $9,458 per student annually (or $788
per month).
The report also provided illuminating figures on the ratio of
students and staff. Beit Berl College, for instance, employs
442 staff members for its 6,353 students; the Kibbutz
Seminary College employs 275 permanent staff members for its
4,350 students; and Betzalel retains 350 permanent senior
staff workers for its 1,314 students.
The large monetary allocations for the universities and other
academic institutions stem partly from the inflated salaries
they generally pay. Ha'aretz recently revealed that
the National Academy of Scientists, which receives a total of
NIS 11.5 million ($2.5 million) provided by the Council of
Higher Education's Committee for Planning and Funding and
various government ministries, spends NIS 4.2 million
($900,000) on wage expenditures although the 84 professors
who work with the organization meet only a few times every
year.
