Israeli Opposition Parties Compete for Education Ministry

The Democrats announced on Tuesday that they will formally demand the Education Ministry in the next government. The declaration came at the Knesset conference on democratic education, “Education First,” led by MK Naama Lazimi and attended by party chairman Yair Golan, educators, civil society representatives, and youth movement leaders.

The move intensifies competition inside the opposition for a ministry seen as especially desirable after the controversial term of the current minister, Likud’s Yoav Kisch. Yesh Atid has already named MK Meirav Cohen as its candidate to serve as education minister if the “change bloc” forms the next government.

Golan said the party would insist on the portfolio and argued that the ministry must be removed from “corrupt, extreme nationalist, draft-dodging, and democracy-destroying” hands and placed with responsible leadership. He said the party would inject major funding, improve teachers’ working conditions sharply, create a broad incentive system to place strong staff where they are most needed, end what he called the “outrageous discrimination” against state education students, and advance full civic equality for all students in Israel. He described state education as “the beating heart, the nerve center of Israeli democracy.”

Lazimi also presented herself as a candidate, saying she intends to be the next education minister. She said the ministry will determine Israel’s future and that she is entering the race “with all my strength.” Citing her family background as the daughter of a principal, wife of a teacher, and a mother, she said public state education “runs in my blood” and rebuilding it is her personal mission. She promised to fight for children’s budgets, restore pride to teaching, defend liberal values, and make equal opportunity and children the center of policy.