Israeli Government Admits It Did Not Enforce Penalties on Ultra-Orthodox Schools for Core Curriculum Failures
How 2 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.
By שחר אילן, כלכליסט
First reported by Calcalist · Aug 27, 2026
What happened
The Israeli government admitted it never enforced fines on ultra-Orthodox schools failing to meet core curriculum standards, despite funding them for these studies. Many schools received exemptions and employed unqualified teachers, leading to thousands of unpaid core curriculum hours. Legal advisors recommend conditioning funding on compliance, but political challenges remain.
- 01Israeli Ministry of Education admitted it never enforced fines on ultra-Orthodox schools for core curriculum failures.
- 02About 103 million shekels in fines were waived across 346 cases due to a unique funding system.
- 0334% of ultra-Orthodox schools failed to meet core curriculum requirements; 2,551 hours were funded but not taught.
- 04Many schools received exemptions reducing required hours in math, English, and science.
- 0568% of schools employed teachers without proper certification; 44 had no qualified teachers in core subjects.
- 06Legal advisor recommends funding be conditioned on curriculum compliance starting this year, but enforcement is uncertain.
Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.
Full coverage · 2 outlets
The same event, reported separately by each newsroom. Open a few to compare what each emphasizes — and what they leave out.
