The National Labor Court in Jerusalem upheld a request by the
Education Ministry by issuing an injunction requiring the
Association of Secondary School Teachers to cooperate in
administering the PISA (Program for International Student
Assessment) exams, which began on Sunday.
Concerned that they will be blamed for poor results on the
exams, teachers are demanding special compensation for
preparing the students for the tests. Several months ago the
Association of Secondary School Teachers announced it
objected to the exams and threatened to halt studies at
schools while the test is being administered. When
negotiations stalled, last week the Education Ministry sought
an injunction to prevent the teachers from striking. The
legal counsel for the Teachers Association, Attorney Dror
Gal, said, "This is an erroneous ruling that undermines the
use of the strike as a tool."
A school strike is expected due to cutbacks in teaching hours
for 12th-grade students.
The National Council of Students is also threatened to hold a
one-day strike to protest the Finance and Education
Ministries' plans to cut three weekly teaching hours at
secondary schools.
The PISA exams are administered by the OECD (the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development) once every three
years among 15-year-olds in dozens of countries around the
world. They are designed to assess the students' knowledge in
various fields and their ability to apply the knowledge they
have learned.
The last time Israel participated in the international tests
in 2003 it scored 31st among 41 participating nations,
stirring a harsh public reaction against the school system
that served as a catalyst for the formation of the Dovrat
Committee. This year a sample of 4,500 Israeli students taken
from all sectors are slated to take the exams.
The Teachers Association is also embroiled in a labor dispute
that could result in a school strike over the decision to cut
12,000 teaching hours next year, which would mean the
dismissal of 600 teachers. Announced three years ago the move
is scheduled to be carried out in three stages. The first
stage calls for the reduction of two weekly teaching hours
for every 12th-grader. Association Chairman Ran Erez recently
declared if the cut takes effect teachers will go on strike
and the school year will not begin until the decision is
reversed. Before Pesach several school principals received
notices from local education department heads to prepare for
teacher dismissals at their respective schools.
