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An end to public education in Israel?

A public outcry against the Nahari bill – public funding of private schools – is being led by IRAC, along with SHATIL, and Panim.

The Knesset recently passed the Nahari bill, which requires all local authorities to subsidize private education. Being decried as spelling the end of public education in Israel, this legislation was a gesture by the coalition to its ultra-Orthodox partners, mainly Shas, whose institutions – and those of the other ultra-Orthodox parties – will be the primary beneficiaries of this amendment to the Public Education Law.  IRAC (the Israel Religious Action Center), with the assistance of SHATIL (the New Israel Fund’s empowering and training center for social change), and Panim, have been in the forefront of the fight, first to block passage of the bill, and now, in view of its enactment, to combat its implementation.

In their joint press release and letters to Knesset members, these organizations pointed out the obvious dangers of this amendment: the cost, not only in shekels, but also the severe setback, if not destruction of the principle of equality and the objectives of public education: preparing every child to be a citizen of a modern democratic country.  Despite Ministry of Education objections that echoed these warnings, narrow coalition considerations have brought about the passage of a law that forces every local council to fund private schools, although these institutions are under no obligation to operate according to Ministry of Education guidelines and supervision.  Indeed, the Minister of Education, Prof. Yuli Tamir, herself stated that “private education will be bolstered at the expense of the public school system.”

It is clear that little thought was given as to how the local councils, many nearly if not already bankrupt, are going to foot the hefty bill attached to this legislation, estimated by the Local Authorities Council at NIS 250 million annually. As the outraged head of the Council, Adi Eldar, declared in a HaAretz article: “Unfortunately, the MKs who voted in favor of imposing further financial burdens on local authorities did not say where the funding would come from… and they are simply removed from the day to day realities of Israel, living in their own bubble, pillaging the budgets of local authorities and their residents.”

Now that the law has been passed, IRAC, together with SHATIL and Panim are preparing to combat its implementation. And they are not alone. Not only are opposition parties, such as the National Religious Party [MAFDAL] – the main supporters of the state religious school system - calling for rescinding or amending the law, but also the local councils, who are being saddled with the burden of paying for private education. Prior to the Knesset vote, the forum of 15 independent cities placed daily ads in the country’s leading newspapers protesting what they saw as the inevitable result of the new law: the destruction of state education. The Nahari Law, they said, will fund schools that “do not recognize the basic values of the State of Israel, do not educate toward democracy, do not teach general studies vital for the country’s social and economic integrity.”  Moreover, this funding will come “at the expense of the state educational system and the services to which citizens and taxpayers are entitled.”  It will cause irreparable damage to the foundations of education and to the cities of Israel…” because local government will have to curtail bussing, enrichment programs, subsidies for hot lunches, afternoon programs, etc., not to mention abandoning certain academic subjects.

Damage control

In view of the bills’ passage, the Forum 15’s suggestions for regulations aimed at minimizing the damage will probably obtain support from IRAC and its partners, SHATIL and Panim, as well as certain politicians.  Aside from government compensation, Forum 15 recommended funding only those schools that recognize and do not undermine the basic principles of the State of Israel, do not discriminate on the basis of ethnic group, and comply with Ministry of Education and local authority regulations regarding safety, curriculum, etc. The Forum also suggested that the Ministry set up guidelines in cooperation with local government, concerning number of pupils per school, per class, etc. In addition to this damage control, legal protests, such as petitioning the High Court of Justice and other measures are being planned by IRAC and other organizations, as well as political groups.

Since its founding, the state has been obligated to provide free education in two state streams, general and religious, while reluctantly accepting the existence of “recognized but unofficial” schooling for ultra-Orthodox youngsters.  This “system,” however, does not fulfill the obligations, which schools in the state system do:  complying with Ministry of Education supervision, official curriculum, teacher training requirements, and administrative and enrollment regulations.  Legislation enacted shortly after the establishment of Israel provided the Minister of Education with the ability to fund private schooling at their discretion. This was usually translated in keeping with the ratio: funding equals compliance with government requirements. 

But now, this equation is being abandoned, as is any hope of providing proper instruction in subjects such as mathematics and English so as to prepare ultra-Orthodox children to take their place in the work force and in modern Israeli society. 

Moreover, as IRAC underscored, the Nahari legislation makes no provision for a parallel reinforcement of state education.  This point strengthens the argument of the bill’s detractors, who condemn it as a wholesale abandoning of the principle of equality – the multi-cultural school open to everyone – in defense of elitist education.

MK Nahari, who sponsored the bill, claimed that other countries subsidize private education.  Even if this were true, no state supports private education, which not only competes with public education, but also undermines its principles and rejects those of the state that “feeds it.” 

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