Chareidi master’s degree students in Ono College have received notice that from today until completion of their degree, classes on campus would no longer be separate as was the case during the first year of their studies. Students are angry, explaining they were promised the program would be separate, and that this was approved by the Council for Higher Education. It now appears this arrangement was never approved by the council.

Many chareidim who earn a bachelor’s degree do not advance to graduate school because the Council of Higher Education did not approve separate classes in graduate school. However, last year, the Ono advertised that the program to earn a master’s degree would be separate.

The announcement achieved its desired goal and in no time, the program was filled to capacity. However, towards the end of the first year of two, the heads of the school gathered all chareidi students and informed them that they had been instructed by the Council to discontinue studies in the current format and that they should move to the mixed campus to complete their degree.

The chareidi students objected to the move, and in return received the possibility of receiving a refund of several thousand shekels in compensation for the sudden change.

School officials are quoted in the media stating that unfortunately, the Council has decided it will not permit continuing the separate classes in the second year. the school is compelled to abide by the Council’s regulations and therefore, the students who were separate in the first year will now have to integrate into the campus’ general population for the second year.

MK (Shas) Michael Michaeli has stated he hopes to speak with Council officials, unwilling to accept the decision that chareidim will not be permitted to continue separate classes.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)