Enrollment in Jerusalem's chareidi education system continues to rise according to figures published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, which shows that 61 percent of the capital's Jewish students hail from the chareidi sector.
The other 39% are split evenly between secular and religious-nationalist students.
The percentage of first-graders in chareidi institutions is double the chareidi representation in the adult population. While chareidim account for 30% of the city's adult population, they are 40% of the total population. The proportion of chareidi and religious Zionist students has risen during the past decade, while the proportion of students in government schools has decreased from 25% in 5761 to 19% in 5770.
A statistical analysis reveals that among Jewish first-graders in Jerusalem, 6,152 are chareidi, 1,954 are religious and 1,950 are from the secular sector.
Rabbi Yitzchok Pindrus, who serves as deputy mayor and chareidi education commissioner, said, "Once again it has been proven that those who seek guidance from their elders do not stumble and by walking in the light cast by maranan verabonon, success comes in spite of all the impediments. Chareidi education, which is founded on heeding the instructions of gedolei Yisroel, continues to succeed and flourish besiyata deShmaya."
Rabbi Pindrus noted that "these figures require the municipality to make arrangement accordingly," he said, and to recognize that the chareidi sector accounts for the majority of Jerusalem students.
