Education Minister Limor Livnat announced at a press
conference in Tel Aviv last week that in the coming school
year the Education Ministry will not allocate funding to
schools that fail to meet the quota for secular studies,
whose contents are to be determined by the Ministry.
Livnat termed her plan "revolutionary," declaring that for
the first time in the history of the State of Israel all
schools from all streams of Judaism would have to follow a
Core Program that will set a minimum number of classroom
hours to be devoted to "core" subjects as determined by the
Education Ministry.
Livnat stressed that the program will obligate Chinuch Atzmai
schools as well, adding that Chinuch Atzmai and Maayan
Hachinuch Hatorani schools will only be required to follow 75
percent of the core curriculum in order to receive 100
percent of the funding.
The program follows a High Court decision three years ago
requiring the State to set curriculum standards. The court
ruling supported an appeal filed by Yosef Paritzky from
Shinui.
Education Ministry Director-General Ronit Tirosh added that
the program is designed "to promote a common denominator
among all streams and to create common values in order to
close gaps in society."
At the press conference it was also announced that the Core
Program would be implemented gradually over the course of
five years starting next year and that nationwide tests in
the required subjects would be held as part of the new
program. Ministry heads added that all schools that receive
funding would be required to accept students in accordance
with a Ministry of Education integration policy.
MK Rabbi Moshi Gafni told Yated Ne'eman, "Under no
circumstances will Chinuch Atzmai institutions permit any
interference with the curriculum . . . Only gedolei
Yisroel determine and will determine the curriculum and
the pedagogic framework at Chinuch Atzmai schools, and there
will be no outside interference."
