MKs to tour east Jerusalem schools, push Palestinian to Israeli curriculum shift

This week, a special tour group of Knesset members is expected to visit various schools in east Jerusalem as part of the work of the Subcommittee for Curricula in east Jerusalem and their Supervision headed by MK Avichai Boaron of Likud.

Due to security and political sensitivities, only subcommittee members will be allowed to participate in the visit under heavy security.

During the visit, Knesset members will have the opportunity to meet directly with key figures in the education system, discuss current challenges and opportunities, and explore ways to improve teaching and learning processes in order to align with the government's goals of transitioning students from the Palestinian curriculum to the Israeli curriculum.

Boaron stressed that the visit's purpose is to give Knesset members a firsthand look at the situation in east Jerusalem schools, helping them develop a current and accurate understanding that will inform the creation of smart and effective education policies for the eastern part of the city.

Boaron added, "The subcommittee under my leadership is committed to improving the quality of education in east Jerusalem, while ensuring quality curricula adapted to the needs of the students. We believe that education is the key to integration and advancement of society in the eastern part of the city, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that every student gets the opportunity to realize their potential."

In a recent discussion by the Education Committee's subcommittee, data was presented regarding the government's education policy in east Jerusalem. The data revealed that despite a budget of NIS 1 billion, it has fallen significantly short of its goals.

The committee's findings

The committee also revealed that 6,000 out of 6,700 teachers were trained in the Palestinian Authority, and 85% of schools (over 90,000 out of 110,000 students) still study the Palestinian Authority's curriculum.

The data also showed that close to NIS 200 million, which was allocated for this matter in the government's decision, was invested in the program.

Still, only 2,000 students have transitioned in the last two years from the Palestinian program to the Israeli program. In fact, the State of Israel invests NIS 1 million to transition a student in east Jerusalem from the Palestinian program to the Israeli one.

In the discussion ahead of the special tour, Boaron said, "This committee was established to deal with a problem that is nothing less than a powder keg placed in the heart of Jerusalem, the capital city of the State of Israel. Before we go to 'de-Nazify' the students of the Gaza Strip, we must examine the learning content here in Jerusalem. After many years under the minister's leadership, incitement content was removed from the learning materials. In parallel, about a year and a half ago, the minister led a government decision to replace the Palestinian curriculum with an Israeli curriculum. This decision is good and important. However, this decision did not bring about the desired change - east Jerusalem residents are not interested in adopting the Israeli curriculum, and the teachers themselves are not willing to teach the program."

"My colleagues and I will do everything to change this delusional reality. This intolerable situation cannot continue,” he continued. 

“The latest government decision on this issue speaks of slow and gradual treatment of the problem before us, but this is a big mistake. The treatment of this problem must be sharp and quick. In the coming months, if the situation does not change significantly for the better, I will turn to the prime minister and recommend canceling the government's decision on the matter and making a completely different decision. We need to deal with the complex problems existing in the current education of east Jerusalem students in a much more stubborn and severe manner than what is happening today. The committee's discussions help us understand the scope of the problem and its severity and decide on the best tools to deal with its correction."

Following that discussion, Boaron sent a letter to the prime minister, the education minister, and other officials to share the data and conclusions and even proposed an innovative idea to examine cooperation with Arab countries and connect them to the education system in east Jerusalem.

"Education in east Jerusalem is a national event, no less,” Boaron concluded. “And that's how it should be treated, with seriousness and gravity. For decades we have allowed this bomb to grow quietly and without interference, with God's help we intend to study the issue in depth, and lead significant processes in the matter together with all the factors, the existing situation must change."