Ra'anana Religious Schools Face Severe Overcrowding Amid Vacancies in Secular Schools
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Parents in Ra'anana are protesting overcrowded classrooms in religious schools, citing available space in secular institutions. State-religious schools have an average of 32.7 students per class, compared to 25.5 in secular schools. Activists claim no new religious schools have been built in 35 years. The municipality states it is addressing the issue with the Ministry of Education.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ra'anana religious schools face overcrowding with an average of 32.7 students per class.
- Secular schools in Ra'anana have available space and an average of 25.5 students per class.
- Approximately 2,012 students attend Ra'anana's three largest state-religious schools.
- No new state-religious elementary schools have been built in Ra'anana in 35 years.
- The municipality is working with the Ministry of Education to address the educational needs.
Parents of students in Ra'anana's religious schools are reporting that their children are being taught in overcrowded classrooms, while secular schools in the city have available space and under-enrolled classes. According to data from the Kipa website, approximately 2,012 students attend the three largest state-religious schools in Ra'anana. In contrast, 13 state secular schools serve 4,541 students. The average class size in the religious sector is 32.7 students, compared to 25.5 students in the secular sector, a difference of about 28%. On average, religious schools have around 671 students each, while secular schools average only 349 students. Eight of the thirteen secular schools have fewer than 310 students, which activists believe indicates available capacity. Representatives from the Ra'anana Headquarters for Preserving Jewish Identity state that this issue has persisted for years. Activist Shani Amosi noted that no new state-religious elementary schools have been built in the city in the last 35 years. The Ra'anana Municipality stated that the needs of state-religious education are under constant review and are addressed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. City officials emphasized their continued investment in developing the entire educational system on an equal basis.
