Surenas
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Haifa University President Amos Shapira presented Netanyahu with data that shows the Iranians were investing more in higher education than Israel; now, following the decision to cut NIS 263 million from higher education, university leaders decided to fight back; 'After all, Iran’s bomb is not built by the farmers working in the field,' Shapira warns.
[…]
"We're afraid of the Iranian bomb, but if the State of Israel doesn't come to its senses, and continues cutting funds to higher education and research, while the Israeli 'brain drain' continues - Iran will win the race," he asserts.
"This is an arms race for all intents and purposes, except the weapons here are not missiles, but the human brain. Iran must not have the strategic advantage over Israel in research. There are quite a few measures that show that the qualitative gap is getting smaller every year. After all, Iran’s bomb is not built by the farmers working in the field. This is a red line, and it must not be allowed to happen. That is why we joined forces, all the heads of academia, because otherwise the damage to the State of Israel will be unavoidable."
[…]
He says he has been aware of the existing problems for a long time. "On the eve of 2009 elections," he says, "when I was the president of the Israeli Friends of Tel Aviv University, I organized a big conference on higher education, attended by Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni. Among other things, I talked about the connection between education and defense, and presented a comparison between higher education in Iran and in Israel. It turns out that in 1996, the national investment on higher education was 0.9 percent of the GNP, and in Iran it was 0.1 percent. In 2006, the investment in Iran and in Israel was the same, and by 2009, Iran had surpassed Israel. The most recent data I have, from 2012, shows that in Israel, that investment went down to 0.7 percent, while in Iran it increased to 1.4 percent.
"Israel got to where it did thanks to its human assets, its research and development. Iran understood that well, and is doing the same thing. Compared to research in the world, Israel is on the decline, while Iran is in a constant state of advancement."
University leaders warn of Iran's educational overtake - Israel News, Ynetnews
[…]
"We're afraid of the Iranian bomb, but if the State of Israel doesn't come to its senses, and continues cutting funds to higher education and research, while the Israeli 'brain drain' continues - Iran will win the race," he asserts.
"This is an arms race for all intents and purposes, except the weapons here are not missiles, but the human brain. Iran must not have the strategic advantage over Israel in research. There are quite a few measures that show that the qualitative gap is getting smaller every year. After all, Iran’s bomb is not built by the farmers working in the field. This is a red line, and it must not be allowed to happen. That is why we joined forces, all the heads of academia, because otherwise the damage to the State of Israel will be unavoidable."
[…]
He says he has been aware of the existing problems for a long time. "On the eve of 2009 elections," he says, "when I was the president of the Israeli Friends of Tel Aviv University, I organized a big conference on higher education, attended by Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni. Among other things, I talked about the connection between education and defense, and presented a comparison between higher education in Iran and in Israel. It turns out that in 1996, the national investment on higher education was 0.9 percent of the GNP, and in Iran it was 0.1 percent. In 2006, the investment in Iran and in Israel was the same, and by 2009, Iran had surpassed Israel. The most recent data I have, from 2012, shows that in Israel, that investment went down to 0.7 percent, while in Iran it increased to 1.4 percent.
"Israel got to where it did thanks to its human assets, its research and development. Iran understood that well, and is doing the same thing. Compared to research in the world, Israel is on the decline, while Iran is in a constant state of advancement."
University leaders warn of Iran's educational overtake - Israel News, Ynetnews