Israeli Education Ministry Issues License Revocation Warnings to 31 Ultra-Orthodox Schools for Not Teaching Core Subjects

The Israeli Ministry of Education has issued license revocation warnings to 31 ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) educational institutions after it was revealed that they failed to teach core curriculum subjects despite receiving government funding. This development was disclosed in the legal response submitted to the Supreme Court regarding the "Billion Shekel Petition" filed by Yair Lapid and the Yesh Atid party, which challenges the legality of transferring one billion shekels to institutions not meeting educational standards.

The Ministry of Education considers five subjects as core: English, mathematics, science, Hebrew, and Bible studies. It regards schools as compliant if they teach these subjects in at least some grade levels. Warnings were issued only to schools found to completely omit a core subject across all grades. In contrast, the Ministry of Finance holds a stricter view, asserting that 171 ultra-Orthodox schools (about 32%) do not meet the criteria for core curriculum instruction and thus should not receive funding. According to the Finance Ministry, schools failing to meet the core curriculum requirements for grades 1 through 8 are not legally teaching core subjects.

Following the warnings, the heads of the affected schools met with the Education Ministry's Haredi district office and committed to implementing full core curriculum instruction in the upcoming school year. This commitment includes agreeing to close supervision and standardized testing (Meitzav exams) to assess student proficiency. The Education Ministry has decided to grant these schools another chance to comply rather than immediately revoke their licenses. Only three schools refused to commit and will be reclassified as "exempt" institutions, which receive reduced funding.

Knesset member Moshe Kinley-Tor-Paz, one of the petitioners, criticized the decision, stating that while many corrective measures are positive, the ultra-Orthodox schools have historically received excessive leniency. He accused the Education Ministry of allowing a "special Haredi core curriculum" taught by unqualified teachers without budget cuts, and warned that schools are not being effectively penalized because they can simply promise to comply and avoid sanctions.