The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 10 Adar 5773 instructed the Ministry of Education to prepare a plan to give the state achievement exam to chareidi schools within 100 days in an effort to evaluate the level of the schools. The court added that schools unwilling cooperate and give the exam will face sanctions. The petition was filed against both Mayan HaChinuch and Chinuch Atzmai of Yahadut Hatorah and Shas respectively.
High Court President Asher Grunis advised the heads of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi educational systems to begin taking the matter seriously or face the consequences. Grunis added “If there is no change, there will be no alternative to imposing sanctions.”
Gilad Kariv, a director of the Reform Movement in Israel stands behind the petition, telling the media after the ruling “The High Court send a clear message to the Educational Ministry to stop closing its eyes regarding what is taking place in the chareidi educational system. This message must translate to significant government action.”
The petition was filed in 2012, two years after the decision of the ministry to give the achievement exams to the chareidi students. The petition states the Chinuch Atzmai system stopped giving the exams and in Mayan HaChinuch, the exam is given from time to time in small numbers.
According to the Walla News report, a representative of Chinuch Atzmai explained to the court there was no dialogue taking place with the ministry regarding the exams. Mayan HaChinuch told the court if compelled to do so, it would give the exam to students.
In response, Deputy Minister of Education Menachem Eliezer Moses commented, stating the court has no place interfering, adding he will bring the matter to the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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16 Responses
Though I don’t agree at all to impose sanctions on any educational facility I believe its a fair system to reward schools who have high acheivements and scores on testing, as well as provide a bonus to the teacher. If a school/yeshiva is lacking in that department of education, then the bonus should not be awarded. No Sanctions.
let the court look at the violence , drugs in the state schools first
They are making progress in closing down the yeshivos (by conscripting the students – even though the military neither needs nor wants them). Now they can aim for the younger kids. Remember the goal of zionism is to free the Jewish people from the yoke of Torah and Mitsvos – and bad things happen when frum people accept zionist money without be aware of the power that gives them over our institutions.
Jewish Florida proposes that “If a school/yeshiva is lacking in that department of education, then the bonus should not be awarded. No Sanctions.”
If a bonus is not awarded for any reason then that action is in itself a “Sanction”.
syj‘s comment is totally absurd. “The violence , drugs in the state schools” is an entirely different matter entirely and syj does herself absolutely no favors whatsoever by trying to conflate that with the matter under discussion here: the alleged shortcomings of the chareidi chinuch system.
As for akuperma‘s totally baseless and unnecessarily hysterical and provocative statement might I ask the good lady to furnish us, please, with the name and address of a single yeshiva that is being closed down by the Israeli Ministry of Education. Forget the conscription issue for the time being just give us the name and address of a single yeshiva closed down by the Israeli authorities.
#3, what is being done makes sense. In NYC for schools to get funding they need to meet certain criteria for the curriculum. This has nothing to do with closing yeshivas.
A true Maamin b’Hash-m would believe that we chareidim have some responsibility here.. and it’s not just the “evil zionists”
REFORM MOVEMENT=ERUV RA
#5- Are the Israeli talking about cutting off government funding to schools that don’t cooperate, or closing them down? The former is perfectly reasonable – it’s their money. The latter means telling parents you have to send your kids to a government school so the government can teach them what the government wants – or we throw you in jail.
Parents have a right to educate their children. If a parent wants to skip secular subjects, that is their right. Shutting down (rather than not funding) hareidi schools is a human right violation.
“Parents have a right to educate their children. If a parent wants to skip secular subjects, that is their right”.
That is called “Home Schooling” and practiced throughout the world. Might be a good idea for some modos to rent out shul space or large ‘foreign investors’ apartments and start home schooling options. Can do what you want, teach English, Hebrew, Arabic (for those who will be moving to Shechem, etc.), pass your own dress codes, etc?
In order to receive diplomas, credits, funding there are rules to implement without the school system. When the codes are followed funding for security guards, bomb shelters, outdoor playareas, discounted food for meals etc. are then given.
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Chaim, I disagree with you. Here in the US I identify myself as a republican. One issue I liked from my previous FL governor, Jeb Bush was his education reform plan which applauded and financially rewarded schools based upon test performance. This encouraged failing schools to improve, and good schools to continue the growth and excellence. Striving for an A+ school and an A+ teacher to lead the mission.
I recall summer camps rewarding campers who memorized the names of all the parshios or certain commentaries from rashi, and rewarded them with raffles, toys, and candy.
I disagree with you, rewards for any reason do not encourage growth and a strive.
The parents have the absolute right to educate their children in accordance with daas torah but the state has an equally compelling right to assure those children are capable of functioning in a pluralistic society and have basic langauge and math skills and a knowledge of the civil laws and customs of the nation they live in. The two rights are not mutually exclusive and most normal parents find a way to accomodate both. To deny a child any education in secular matters is effectively a form of child abuse. We take children away from their parents if they abuse them physically but somehow think its OK to bring children into the world and make them dysfucntional dependents of the state? Like all the other disputes of this sort, there is a need for compromise on both sides and it need not become another source of polarization.
You are out of line gadolhadorah. It is not child abuse. This is a neew catch phrase for people who are not doing what the government wants.In England they wanted to call some kind of inoculation child abuse if you did not have it. What is child abuse if you raise your child to depend on the government as the only way to live like it is in America. The little money the medina gives the charedi does not give a life or a way to be totally depended on the medina
What exactly are Chareidim not being taught? My kids are in chareidi chadarim and they are taught math, science and reading.. just not history and literature.. what’s the big deal?
Also, where does it say that yeshivos will be shut down?
The teacher waited for them to finish their candy. This was what she had been trained for, and she knew that she would teach her children well and that they would grow up to be good citizens. She looked out of the window, at the sun over the land. It was a good land, and vast. A land to breathe in. But she was warmed not by the sun but by the thought that throughout the school and throughout the land all children, all men and all women were being taught with the same faith, with variations of the same procedures. Each according to his age group. Each according to his need.
She glanced at her watch….
It was 9:23.
read:
The Children’s Story
by James Clavell
As someone who lives in Israel I must say that the government is 100% right. First of all for all of those who live in the US, why do you even comment on these things? You say such outlandish things that their sources do not exist. And I am saying that also on the draft issue, since very few of you know what it means to serve for 3 years in the army.
As to the issue at hand. I am sure most of you who give money to an organization check out that place and make sure they are not wasting your money. The Israeli Gov’t is doing the exact same thing. It gives huge sums of money of Chareidi Schools and wants to know that the money they are giving is being well spent.