The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee held a long hearing on Tuesday over hundreds of objections to a bill amending the Student Rights Law to allow higher education tracks for advanced degrees in gender-separated settings. Under the proposal, mixed colleges would permit separation only in classrooms for students who want it, while institutions that already operate separately would get broader rules for holding studies.
The bill was initiated by MK Limor Son Har Melech, who said its goal is to widen access to higher education for populations that have not yet entered academia in sufficient numbers. Opposition lawmakers and women’s groups argued that it would harm equality and expand gender segregation in the public sphere.
The committee was still working through 1,181 opposition reservations, and had voted on only 282 by the time of the hearing. Civil society representatives also testified. Yael Yechieli, CEO of the 5050 initiative, said the key question is whether the model באמת advances Haredi integration, warning, "If the goal is partnership and integration of Haredi society, then we are for it, but what is happening here is more autonomy for the Haredim, and as is known that does not lead to integration." Naama Zervav, CEO of the Shovrot Shavion movement, said the criticism is driven by unrealistic fears and patronizing attitudes, arguing that the women who want such degrees are being ignored.
Later, Zervav told Channel 7 the law would pass and said, "We will not continue in a situation where women’s organizations or the Council for Higher Education decide for us who studies in academia and who does not. Equal opportunity means equal opportunity for anyone who wants and is suitable." Committee chair MK Yosef Tayeb asked to expand the bill so separation could apply in additional places in separate institutions, not just classrooms. The Justice Ministry opposed that change, saying it would upset the current balance, and the committee’s legal adviser, attorney Tami Sela, said the draft goes further than existing arrangements. Representatives of the Council for Higher Education asked to retain authority over the definitions and criteria for separate institutions, including which schools would qualify under the law.
