Education Minister Defies State Position on Haredi School Funding

Education Minister Yoav Kisch submitted his response to the Supreme Court regarding the core curriculum studies in ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) educational networks. Kisch requested and received separate representation, as his stance significantly differs from the state's position. He argued against claims of deficiencies in core curriculum studies, advocating for the continued full funding of the educational networks of the United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, and even suggested an increase in funding.

The petition, filed in March 2025, concerns the funding of the "Independent Education" and "Maayan HaChinuch HaTorani" networks. These networks receive full state funding under the Budget Foundations Law, conditional on teaching the full core curriculum. The petitioners allege that these networks receive full funding despite not teaching the complete core curriculum, lacking qualified teachers, not participating in external assessments, and lacking effective oversight from the Ministry of Education.

In February, the court issued an interim order after the "Freedom of Religion and Equality" association claimed the Education Minister had prevented the ministry from submitting data for about a year and had instructed the State Attorney's Office to withhold data collected by the Budget Department. The state's response, submitted two weeks prior, acknowledged significant failures in the Ministry of Education's operations and called for immediate corrections to funding, curricula, and teacher qualifications. The state also proposed reducing funding to 75% or 55% for institutions not teaching the full core curriculum.

Contrasting the state's position, Kisch asserted that the situation has improved in recent years and that preferential funding should continue to support this positive trend. He cited Ministry of Education data indicating that most institutions teach the majority of core subjects. Kisch also criticized the Attorney General for presenting the necessary information to the court, labeling the issue a political matter inappropriate during an election period.

Dr. Yifat Solel, Deputy Director of the "Freedom of Religion and Equality" association, criticized the minister's stance, accusing him of seeking to continue transferring public funds to the networks illegally. She stated that the "fiction" of fixing the issue gradually, which has persisted for 27 years, must end immediately and that the court should compel the Ministry of Education to fulfill its legal obligations to all children in Israel, not just serve the minister's coalition interests.