JERUSALEM – July 28, 2008 – The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) expresses concern over the passing last week of a law authorizing the government to fund ultra-Orthodox schools, though they will not teach their pupils the government’s core curriculum, which includes mathematics, English, and civics.
The legislation, which passed in the absence of many Knesset Members and with the approval of Israel’s Education Minister, Yuli Tamir, is surprising given Tamir’s commitment to civics education, exhibited through a wide-ranging and comprehensive reform in Israeli schools. In the coming year, the Ministry will double the time dedicated to civics education in high schools from three to six hours per week and has undertaken to expand civics education significantly in middle schools.
ACRI calls on Education Minister Yuli Tamir (a former ACRI chairperson) and the Knesset to reverse the harmful law and expedite the implementation of the core curriculum in all Israeli schools.
The law contravenes a Supreme Court ruling from 2004, ordering the Education Ministry and ultra-Orthodox schools to implement the core curriculum (known as “the liba program” in Hebrew).
“The core curriculum and civics classes in particular are the cornerstones of a stable democratic society,” said Shlomy Saragossi, ACRI’s Hebrew Education Coordinator. “We cannot teach these values selectively. The education system must provide all children in Israel with the tools to contribute to society as active citizens – only in this way can we promote common values of tolerance, equality, and pluralism.”
Civics education teaches children the importance of democratic values and processes, including theories of democracy, freedom of expression and human rights, the operation of democratic institutions such as the Knesset and the Supreme Court, critical thinking, and civic engagement.
ACRI has long been a major player in the promotion of civics education in Israel. In the past year, ACRI was chosen to help implement the reform in civics education and is in the process of educating dozens of teachers in the Jewish and Arab school systems on how to effectively teach civics in the classroom, within the framework of human rights.
ACRI’s Education Department conducts human rights training programs for thousands of individuals across the country each year, produces high-quality educational curricula in Hebrew and Arabic, and organizes conferences and lectures on human rights education.
