Teachers Union Threatens High School Disruptions Over Summer Exams

The Teachers Union is threatening disruptions in high schools due to a dispute with the Ministry of Education over the scheduling of summer matriculation exams. Union Chairman Ran Erez sent a sharp letter to the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Meir Shimoni, demanding immediate additional payment for teachers whose work extends into the first week of summer vacation for physics and civics exams. The union emphasized that teaching staff must receive appropriate, pre-agreed compensation for work beyond the annual schedule. Erez warned that if the dispute is not resolved quickly, "irreparable damage" could be caused to teachers and students. Sources within the union indicated that patience is running out, and Erez intends to declare an official labor dispute if a satisfactory response is not received soon. Such a declaration would pave the way for disruptions and sanctions in post-primary schools, potentially impacting preparations for matriculation exams and the end of the school year.

This current conflict follows a series of disputes with the Ministry of Education over the past year. Notably, about a month ago, Education Minister Yoav Kisch decided to cancel the national "Mitztav" tests for the remainder of the year and instructed ministry staff not to cooperate with the National Institute for Testing and Evaluation (RAMA), the professional body responsible for these tests. The Ministry of Education stated that the minister was adopting Professor Ami Moyal's report and ordering a comprehensive overhaul of the measurement and evaluation system. However, Professor Moyal's report recommended ensuring continuity and strengthening cooperation, while Kisch canceled the tests and forbade collaboration with RAMA. The report also noted that the Director General of RAMA is part of the ministry's management, a point Kisch reportedly ignored.

Instead of acknowledging RAMA's professional standing and the validity of its test results, Kisch is creating chaos in the education system shortly before elections, allegedly to avoid confronting difficult findings from the PISA 2025 and Mitztav tests. This action follows a special review commissioned by Kisch, which revealed a deep crisis of trust and systemic failures between the Ministry of Education and RAMA. The review was prompted by a severe dispute over the "Tnuafa" tests (the new format of the Mitztav tests), which led to Kisch's attempt to dismiss RAMA's Director General, Dr. Gal Alon. The crisis erupted after the test results for Israeli students showed very low achievements, which Kisch claimed were presented incorrectly. The review report supported the Ministry of Education's position, stating that RAMA's definition of only the highest performance level as "meeting curriculum requirements" was problematic and created a misleading impression. However, the review concluded that the pre-determined measurement method should not be retroactively changed.