Education Ministry Head Warns of Immediate Impact on School Year After Minister's Actions

The National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAMA) has issued a stark warning regarding the immediate negative consequences for the current school year following decisions made by Education Minister Yoav Kisch. Kisch recently canceled the national "Meitzav" exams and prohibited RAMA personnel from entering the Ministry of Education premises. RAMA's Director General, Dr. Gal Alon, stated in a letter that these decisions "crossed every line" and would cause irreparable damage to the education system, leading to an immediate halt in all measurement and evaluation activities.

The Minister's decisions were made amidst a severe crisis between him and RAMA, and despite a review by Professor Ami Moyal, commissioned by Kisch himself, which found RAMA to be a professional body operating at high standards and recommended strengthening cooperation between RAMA and the Ministry. The letter details Kisch's directives, including an immediate cessation of all tests and surveys, a complete ban on cooperation, barring RAMA employees from the Ministry, and subordinating RAMA to a ministerial steering committee, thereby undermining its professional independence.

According to RAMA, Kisch's actions include canceling assessment events in schools, freezing work orders for test administration and data processing, and halting approximately 40 accompanying evaluation studies, including national programs. Israel's participation in international studies like PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS has also been canceled. Furthermore, RAMA alleges that Ministry of Education employees have been forbidden from cooperating with RAMA, and RAMA staff have been physically barred from Ministry offices, with security guards reportedly stationed to prevent their entry.

RAMA further accuses Minister Kisch of persistent attempts to interfere with research findings and force changes to inconvenient data, particularly concerning the 2025 PISA study. RAMA claims Kisch and his staff demanded the deletion of a key finding indicating sharp declines in Israeli students' achievements among OECD countries. RAMA refused, and in response, the Minister allegedly prevented RAMA staff from presenting data, exerted pressure through intermediaries, and instructed the Ministry to release only partial data. Similar attempts to alter findings and downplay achievement drops were reportedly made in the TIMSS 2023 and "Tnu'fa" 2025 tests.

RAMA's letter refutes claims of "deficiencies" in its work, emphasizing that Professor Moyal's report validated RAMA's tests as valid and reliable and recommended preserving its professional independence. RAMA asserts that Kisch's decisions directly contradict Moyal's recommendations and prior government decisions that established RAMA's independent status.

The conflict escalated following the release of test results showing particularly low achievements among Israeli students. Previously, N12 revealed that Kisch attempted to prevent the publication of data showing only 3% of 9th graders met the Ministry's benchmark in science, with significant gaps also found in math and English. Kisch questioned the data's reliability, which RAMA denied, leading to the Minister's subsequent actions against the authority.