Members of Knesset Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), Meir Shitrit (Kadima) and Einat Wilf (Labor) are calling for a "curriculum upheaval." The three are initiating a bill that would require the use of a core curriculum in all educational institutions in the country, including the Arab and Ultra-Orthodox schools. "A core curriculum is the infrastructure for the cohesion of Israeli society," said MK Hotovely, "the bill will reduce the gaps of ignorance in the Ultra-Orthodox sector in subjects such as Civics, English, the Sciences and the History of Israel and cancel the absurdist funding of anti-Zionist educational institutions."
According to the bill, the compulsory subjects that will be part of the core curriculum are Bible and the History of Israel, Civics, Hebrew, Mathematics, the Sciences and English. In Arab schools they will teach Arabic heritage, history and culture.
The proposed bill states that the Ministry of Education will not provide the budgetary allotment for educational institutions which do not teach the core curriculum. According to the proposal, the core curriculum must account for 75 percent of classroom hours. Similarly, the Minister of Education will be authorized to determine the minimum rate of classroom hours for each of the core subjects in order to comply with the law.
In addition, it will be fixed that the Ministry of Education will have a comprehensive and effective supervision over the implementation of the curriculums. The Minister shall regulate that all educational institutions that satisfy the requirements of the core curriculum, will be required to take the statewide standardized exams in each of the subjects. Recognized educational institutions that are not official will be funded proportionally to how they meet the curricular requirements.
The bill also eliminates the sweeping exemptions given to yeshiva students from the curricular studies, but also states that "in recognition of the value of learning Torah to the Jewish people, the minister shall appoint heads of Yeshivas to select elite group of outstanding students in all religious educational institutions, who will spend all their school hours learning the holy subjects, provided that it will not exceed five percent of yeshiva students from the age of fourteen and upwards."
"The situation in the Israeli education system is catastrophic '
With the approval of the Knesset Education Committee, the Minister of Education will appoint a professional committee to set the required subjects of Bible studies, Israel's heritage and Civics. The proposed bill will be implemented gradually as determined by the minister, provided that it will begin to take effect no later than the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
"The situation in the Israeli education system is catastrophic. There are generations of students growing up here, who do not learn the Sciences, English, Mathematics and subjects relating to their heritage and the educational system does not prepare them for life in the modern age. Already today, fifty percent of children in first grade are ultra-Orthodox or Arab and most of them do not learn science or history, and they are not being not being taught so that they can have a profession. We are speaking of the destruction of entire generations, "explained MK Sheetrit.
He added that: "The former education minister Yuli Tamir passed a law that exempted the ultra-Orthodox from core curriculums. We are going to cancel the exemption is to avert the Catastrophic situation that is facing the education system in Israel. That's why we want to authorize the Minister of Education to cease funding any educational institution that will not teach the core curriculum, plain and simple. This is a critical bill for the future of the State of Israel."
Immediately after the committee's recommendations were presented a struggle began from the ultra-Orthodox elements in the Ministry of Education, and even a petition was submitted to the High Court to cancel the program for ultra-Orthodox institutions. The High Court ruled, if the plan is not implemented, Israel would cut the education budget of the ultra-Orthodox sector anyway but because the ultra-Orthodox sector was crating pressure In July 2008 the Knesset passed a Law which bypassed the Supreme Court decision, and gave permission to the ultra-Orthodox sector not to use a core curriculum and to still receive government funding. The initiators of the bill are now seeking to prevent such schools from getting these funds
The ultra-Orthodox have decided to strongly oppose the curriculum plan as it could lead to some of their schools losing financial support from the Ministry of Education. The Council of Torah Sages barred all exempt institutions from changing their status to unofficial, so that they will not be incentivized to implement most of the core curriculum.
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