Israeli Attorney General Limits Funding to Ultra-Orthodox Schools Without Full Core Curriculum

The Israeli Attorney General for ultra-Orthodox education, Michal Berkovitch-Maya, has announced that state funding will only be granted to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions that provide a complete core curriculum. This decision follows a government plan to allocate an additional 1.09 billion shekels to these schools, which was temporarily blocked by the Supreme Court in an interim order.

Berkovitch-Maya justified the funding restrictions by citing data from the Ministry of Education showing significant gaps in ultra-Orthodox schools' compliance with teaching the full core curriculum. She emphasized that many institutions fail to meet their basic educational obligations and that there are challenges in monitoring and enforcing these requirements.

The Attorney General outlined specific conditions for receiving funding, including full core curriculum instruction, employment of qualified teaching staff, full participation in assessment and evaluation systems, cooperation with oversight and enforcement bodies, and adherence to reporting obligations. These requirements are set to take effect immediately in the current academic year.

This move reflects ongoing tensions between the Israeli government and the ultra-Orthodox sector regarding educational standards and state oversight. The Supreme Court's involvement and the Attorney General's firm stance indicate a push for greater integration of core secular studies in ultra-Orthodox schools.