Report Reveals Thousands of Negev Students Learn in Unsafe, Neglected Schools
A recent report by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel has exposed severe neglect and dangerous conditions in 11 recognized schools serving approximately 7,200 students in unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev. The findings, based on professional inspections conducted in August, reveal widespread issues including raw sewage, exposed electrical wires, collapsing ceilings, unusable restrooms, and a lack of running water. None of the inspected schools are connected to a central sewage system, with many relying on uncontained, unmarked, or unlocked cesspools. Some schools lack a connection to the electricity grid, depending on generators, and suffer from structural damage like cracked walls, mold, and broken windows. Additionally, none of the schools have standard security shelters on their premises.
The report highlights that these are not clandestine institutions but schools recognized by the state and operating under the Ministry of Education. While the villages themselves may not be officially recognized, the students and their schools are known to the authorities. The article argues that despite ongoing debates about settlement policies and land arrangements in the Negev, a child's right to basic necessities like water, sanitation, electricity, and safe structures is non-negotiable. The current situation, characterized by a diffusion of responsibility among the Ministry of Education, regional councils, and operating bodies, effectively means no one is held accountable.
This systemic neglect is not attributed to a single government or political party but has accumulated over decades under various administrations. A 2021 State Comptroller report already detailed deep failures in planning, infrastructure, budgeting, and coordination concerning the Bedouin population in the Negev, noting the lack of basic public infrastructure in many villages. The article posits that the prevailing ideology has been one of "rejection", delaying regulation, decision-making, and full funding, leading to a prolonged state of "temporary" conditions that have become policy.
While acknowledging that maintenance and safety issues exist in Jewish schools as well, the report emphasizes that the scale and combination of problems, lack of central sewage, reliance on generators, sewage overflow, water shortages, electrical hazards, structural deficiencies, and absence of shelters, are unique to these recognized schools in unrecognized villages. This points to a systemic issue rather than isolated incidents. The article concludes by calling for immediate action, including a public safety and sanitation mapping, swift removal of life-threatening hazards, dedicated multi-year funding for essential infrastructure, and the appointment of a single, accountable government official to oversee the process and report to the Knesset.
