The Ministry of Education on Wednesday, was compelled to respond to a petition challenging ministry funding for chareidi mosdos that do not include “core subjects”, referring to math, English, and the sciences. In the response to the High Court of Justice the ministry attorneys explained that in the coming school year, mosdos that received state funding in the past will not continue to receive financial assistance if they do not comply with the national curriculum demanding the inclusion of the so-called core subjects. The determining factor will be if the schools participate in the state scholastic achievement tests which are given in 2nd, 5th and 8th grades. This exams demand a certain level of proficiency in math, a language and the sciences. In short, chareidi mosdos that do not include these subjects cannot possibly expect the students to achieve an acceptable grade in these subjects.
HaMevaser points out that to date the chareidi system enjoyed autonomous rule regarding its curriculum but it appears state agencies are stepping up the pressure to compel them to include the core subjects.
Regarding a petition to the court by the Reform Movement a number of years ago, it was decided that if agreement was not reached by 5773, these steps would be taken regarding state aid. The decision actually states “The minister will consider reducing aid to schools until such time they participate in the program” so in essence, the ministry is not compelled to cut aid in the eyes of the High Court but it appears the minister wishes to.
In the response to the court on Wednesday, the ministry explained that the exams are essential to enable the ministry to monitor the level of the schools and students, adding that in the past two years, Education Minister Gideon Saar has cut millions of NIS from the chareidi school budgets and this response is in line with his position, to compel all schools to include these essential subjects in all schools receiving state aid.
From the perspective of the chareidim this is yet another violation of the coalition agreement and long-standing religious status quo, pointing out the state never dared to interfere in the chareidi education system in past decades but today, all of this seems to have changed.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
1. Real Hareidim don’t accept zionist money. Only frum institutions that have at least partially bought into the zionist agenda are affected.
2. Pirke Avos warns about getting to close to the government – since even if they seem helpful, they aren’t reliable and have agendas we don’t want to be part of. This suggest the yeshivos should spend less time on gemara and more on things like Pirke Avos, especially in the fund raisers’ shiur.
with all due respect to my chareidi school planners, learning math and science is not such a bad thing
Learn chumash and gemara for the majority of the day, but give the kids the skills needed to get a job as well
Its facinating to see how the events transpiring in Israel today.
1) The burning desire of the secular israelis to draft yeshivleit into the IDF
2)This issue of interfaring & compelling yeshivas to teach state mandated subjects.
were all foretold & forewarned by the holy Satmar ruv ZTL 50 years ago!!
#2, מפי עוללים ויונקים יסדת עוז. The whole world exists on the Torah learnt in purity by the הבל שאין בו חטא, and you want to take time away from that to teach them things that they won’t have any need for until they have to support families?! Let them learn these things later.