Citizenship, Education and Social Conflict by Alexander Hanan A.;Pinson Halleli;Yonah Yossi;

Author:Alexander, Hanan A.;Pinson, Halleli;Yonah, Yossi;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Education
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2010-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

EDUCATIONAL AUTONOMY AND CORE CURRICULUM

Another controversial issue that the High Court has dealt with several times in recent years is the question of conditioning funds for the Haredi educational system on the inclusion of a core curriculum. In 1999, a petition was filed against the Ministry of Education over its funding of ultra-Orthodox schools despite their violation of the state education regulations, which condition the recognition of an unofficial institution on the existence of a basic (“core”) curriculum.16 Pursuant to the regulations, the subjects included in the basic curriculum of Haredi schools must constitute at least 75 percent of all the study hours in an official school.17 If this requirement is met, the state funds the budget for study hours in these institutions on a scale of 75 percent of the budget for study hours at a similar official institution. Exempt institutions—where the minister of education is authorized, under certain circumstances, to exempt pupils from the requirement of regular studies in a recognized school—also must implement a curriculum of a specific scope as a prerequisite for obtaining government funding on a scale of at least 55 percent.

Following the 1999 petition, the Ministry of Education notified the Court that it would comply with the provisions of the law and develop a core curriculum to be taught at these institutions. In 2002, the Secondary School Teachers’ Association petitioned the Court to revoke allocations provided by the state to Haredi schools that were only teaching religious studies and not implementing the core curriculum.18 The petitioners asked the Court to order schools that were not teaching the core curriculum to do so as of September 2004, or receive reduced allocations from the state. The Court held that continued funding for institutions that were not complying with the provisions of the State Education Law and its associated arrangements would exceed the powers of the Ministry of Education, violate the principle of equality, and constitute unlawful discrimination against schools that were complying with the law vis-à-vis those that were not. In imposing a duty to teach the core curriculum, the Court held that “through education, the legislature wishes to bestow pupils with the fundamental values of Israeli society, in order to grant them the tools necessary to succeed in their careers as well as to fulfill their duties and understand their rights as citizens of the State of Israel.”19 The state asked the Court to grant it an extension of three more years to implement the core curriculum in all Haredi schools. The Court granted the state’s request and issued an order revoking allocations to institutions not complying with the requirements of the law as of 2007.

When the court’s order expired in 2007, a core curriculum had not been implemented to the required extent in ultra-Orthodox secondary schools, so the Center for Jewish Pluralism filed another petition against the Ministry of Education. The petitioner claimed that the ministry had failed to comply with the Secondary School Teachers’ Association judgment, and that it was continuing to provide allocations to institutions that were not implementing the core curriculum.

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