Israel’s Ministry of Education has fined 44 chareidi educational institutions affiliated with Shas and Agudas Yisrael for failing to adhere to laws compelling teaching core subject matter including English and math. These are schools which receive Ministry of Education assistance, and have agreed to comply with the curriculum, which includes secular subjects. They were fined 12.3 million shekels, the amount deducted from their funding for failing to meet their responsibility, Walla News reports.
This occurred last year too, as the ministry is monitoring the situation and insists the chareidi schools receiving monetary assistance comply with the agreement signed regarding secular subjects. This has been revealed by a query from Hiddush, which filed under the freedom of information law, learning the average school was fined NIS 280,000. The highest fine was Talmid Torah Ohelei Sofer in Modi’in Illit, NIS 1.25 million, accumulating over years.
Dozens of chareidi elementary schools from Chinuch Atzmai and Mayan Chinuch Torani are viewed as ‘recognized non-official’ schools, which benefit from state assistance, far more than non-recognized mosdos receive. In return, they have committed to complying with the Ministry of Education curriculum. Schools which are unwilling to sign, not ageing to accept the curriculum, receive 75% less state funding as a result.
The ministry began fining schools for non-compliance in the 2010-2011 school year.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Kol hakovod to the educational ministry for enforcing the requirement that schools taking government money must provide a minimal education in essential language and math skills so their students can earn a parnassah and function in modern society, Its mamash child abuse to allow them to graduate school with no skills or academic training. Its a shame that the government has no ability to require such minimal academic training for those schools that refuse to take government funding.
Why doesn’t the ministry just stop funding these schools? If they are supposed to teach secular subjects as per the agreement & don’t, then the schools are guilty of ganeiva. I know it will hurt poor families and the school, but the law is the law.
It is sad that it falls to the secular government to enforce the halacha mifureshes: רבי יהודה אומר כל שאינו מלמד את בנו אומנות מלמדו ליסטות ליסטות ס”ד אלא כאילו מלמדו ליסטות. No one is asking these schools to teach their talmidim biology or gender studies. Just math and English. If the schools do not comply because they truly believe that this is bitul Torah, then do they also not allow their children to play during recess? What?? You say that physical activity is important for the long-term health of a child? But not basic literacy?!
“When you have completed click the save button to continue”
it’s not a shame, it’s called freedom of choice, you want tyranny?