Religious Education Networks Demand Hundreds of Millions and Autonomy in Coalition Talks

Educational networks affiliated with the national-religious sector have submitted a comprehensive list of demands to senior figures in religious parties, ahead of potential coalition negotiations for the next government. The demands, reportedly led by Elchanan Glatt, CEO of the Bnei Akiva education network, and Yanki Friedman, CEO of the Noam and Tzvia networks, seek to secure hundreds of millions of shekels annually in additional funding.

The proposals aim to grant the national-religious sector exclusive control over key positions within the Ministry of Education. Key requests include the appointment of a deputy minister from the national-religious camp to focus on religious education and the placement of a prominent religious representative in each central department of the ministry. The networks are also demanding full autonomy and veto power over pedagogical and administrative aspects of the education system, similar to the model afforded to private Haredi education, while maintaining full public funding for public schools.

These demands come amid existing budget disparities. According to Ministry of Education data, the average budget per religious high school student is approximately 25.5% higher than for students in the secular state system and 32% higher than for Arab high school students, amounting to about NIS 10,000 per student annually.

Further demands include increased hours and religious programs, financial support for a religious lifestyle from first grade, and a mandatory "Halakha Studies and Education for Mitzvah Life" program from middle school. They also call for a new "Bridging and Hebrew Law" track requiring the study of Oral Torah, and easier eligibility for maintenance budgets in peripheral areas. Additional funding for construction, renovations, and transportation is requested, along with 500 additional positions for national service girls.

The document also specifies that only networks owned by the national-religious sector should be eligible to bid on tenders for operating educational institutions within the national-religious education system (HMD). Furthermore, local authorities would be required to fund additional budgets for religious education, and regional registration zones would be abolished to allow parents to choose distant schools at the expense of municipal transportation funding. Previously, Elchanan Glatt revealed a trend of Haredi parents enrolling their children in national-religious schools to avoid public scrutiny.