As part of legal proceedings currently before the Supreme Court, Education Minister Yoav Kisch submitted his official position in response to a petition filed by the organization 'Hiddush - For Religious Freedom and Equality. ' The petition, which led to a conditional order, concerns the issue of core curriculum studies in educational networks affiliated with the Haredi parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, and their continued state funding. In his written response, the Education Minister rejected the allegations directed at Haredi educational networks, asserting there is no substantive issue regarding core curriculum studies in these institutions.
The Minister also requested that the panel of judges issue a cancellation of the conditional order and dismiss the petition in its entirety. According to the Minister, data held by the Ministry of Education indicates that most of the schools in question teach the majority of core subjects and that there has been a visible improvement in the situation over recent years. Regarding the point raised in discussions that only eight percent of teachers in these networks hold formal training to teach core subjects, the Minister emphasized that he sees no justification for drawing negative conclusions about the scope of studies based on teacher qualification data.
Additionally, the Education Minister criticized the Attorney General’s conduct in this matter, arguing that the information provided to the court concerns a political issue that should not be addressed during an election period. Conversely, Adv. Dr. Yifat Solel, Deputy CEO of Hiddush, sharply attacked the Ministry's position. She claimed that this is a reality where public funds are used to finance staff who lack relevant education for core subjects. She added that the described situation constitutes a long-standing harm to children in the system and argued that funding should be terminated immediately.
The case is sparking an extensive legal and public debate regarding the state's duty to ensure the quality of education in institutions receiving public funds, pitted against government claims of political interference in these proceedings and the importance of continued budgetary support for these educational networks.