Israeli Government Ties Ultra-Orthodox School Funding to Full Core Curriculum Compliance

The Israeli Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, informed the Supreme Court that continued funding for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) education networks under the "All Israeli Children" principle will now be conditional on meeting fundamental obligations, primarily teaching the full core curriculum as defined by the official education program. This requirement is set to take effect in the current school year. Additional conditions include employing qualified teaching staff, full participation in assessment systems, cooperation with oversight mechanisms, and compliance with reporting duties.

This position follows data from the Ministry of Education revealing significant gaps in the Haredi networks' adherence to the full core curriculum and deficiencies in supervision and enforcement. The statement was submitted in response to a petition by the Hadash movement opposing the transfer of nearly one billion shekels annually to independent Haredi education networks, including "Ofek Hadash" and "Gafn," which the government seeks to fund despite incomplete core curriculum teaching. The Supreme Court has already issued an interim order freezing these payments.

The Attorney General's response sharply criticizes past supervision practices, noting that for years, Haredi institutions were allowed to teach only 75% of the core curriculum hours, based on a mistaken assumption of prior legal approval. Over two years ago, legal advisors clarified that this practice lacks legal basis, raises serious legal issues, and undermines equality, yet these directives have not been implemented.

Furthermore, the method used to calculate curriculum compliance focused on total hours across all grades rather than ensuring each core subject was taught at the minimum required level per grade. Consequently, some institutions that failed to teach essential subjects like English or mathematics in entire grades were still classified as teaching over 95% of the core curriculum and funded accordingly. The Attorney General concludes that official supervision data does not accurately reflect the real gaps between legal requirements and actual practice.

Hadash Deputy CEO Adv. Dr. Yifat Solel called the decision dramatic and necessary, stating that the Attorney General determined Education Minister Yoav Kisch's position is illegal. She accused Kisch of attempting to maintain a system that allows politically affiliated Haredi networks to receive full state funding without teaching the core curriculum.