Deputy Minister of Education (Yahadut HaTorah) Meir Porush has scored a big win, succeeding in extending for five years the new law that would implement stringent restrictions for talmudei torah that are recognized by the state, and thereby receive funding. One of the hardships facing these schools is the requirement to submit a license renewal request annually.

According to a report in the daily HaMevaser, the annual requirement is a costly bureaucratic step that boggles down the system and causes much hardship for directors of the schools involved. Following a number of meetings with high-ranking officials, they reached an agreement that schools meeting criteria will not have to request a new license for five years.

Once approved and processed by legal channels, the new criteria will apply to schools already operating, not new schools, which will only receive its first license for a one-year period. The multi-year license will demand schools file reports addressing pedagogic, safety, health and security criteria. In addition, to compel compliance, a school failing to file the necessary reports will receive warning notices that if the documents are not filed, the facility’s license may be revoked as a result.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)