The Education Ministry introduced a program Friday to facilitate school discussions and lessons on the increasing polarization in Israel brought on by the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation.
The program, called “Education by all accounts,” aims to provide resources to teachers of kindergartens and elementary, middle and high schools to deal with the ongoing crisis and hold constructive dialogue on the issues, the Education Ministry said in a statement.
“Current events impact everyone and will also leave their mark on the educational institutions, among educational staff, students, parents and communities. It is our role as educators who lead educational institutions to find a way to navigate the stormy waters,” the ministry said.
The program is intended to be flexible and allow staff to determine what is relevant for their institution, the ministry said.
It encourages teachers to address the issue’s “personal, family, communal and societal” aspects, and stresses the importance of holding “open dialogue that reflects the range of opinions.”
In kindergartens, teachers are encouraged to make their children aware of the diverse identities present in their class.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch attends a Knesset Education, Culture, and Sports Committee meeting, in Jerusalem, on August 14, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
In elementary schools, teachers are advised to develop their students’ skills to hold open dialogue and their awareness of various opinions.
Middle school teachers are recommended to discuss critical thinking, the diverse range of voices in Israeli society, and how to hold respectful conversations on controversial issues.
For high schoolers, teachers are explicitly prompted to educate their class on the judicial overhaul debate and teach critical thinking and dialogue.
In a statement, Education Minister Yoav Kisch said it was “impossible to disconnect students” from the ongoing crisis.
“The education system and staff have a very important role in imparting tools for managing divisions and creating a culture of speech and conversation. Education staff are private individuals who have their own views, but they also hold a public status that requires them to respect all views and not impose only their views,” he said.
“Their job is to find a way to create an inclusive and respectful dialogue, that will allow every side for every voice to be heard and accepted with respect, cultivate the values of mutual responsibility and partnership between all parts of society, even while there is division, and give students the tools to deal with the divisions in a nonviolent manner,” the statement read.
Two weeks ago, Kisch told teachers not to bring their personal political views into their classrooms, but instead mediate between the diverse opinions of students.
Many schools have already been dealing with the subject of the overhaul.
Yael Ayalon, the principal of the Municipal Yud Dalet High School in Tel Aviv, told the Maariv daily last week that the overhaul was an “inseparable” part of its established civics course.
“We teach civics in a way that is closely connected to everyday life… this is nothing new for us,” she said, adding that she presents her political stance and allows students to look at her views critically.
“My students ask me in every class about the reform and the protests,” said Galit Gilon, a civics teacher at Makif Dati, a religious high school in Beersheba. “It is impossible to ignore this. There are a lot of ideas that are included in the regular curriculum but we have to teach them [about the overhaul] because my students ask me all the time about it, and it is challenging me as a teacher because not all the burning topics in the media today regarding the reform are included in the curriculum for matriculation exams, but on the other hand, the students are very curious to know about it,” Gilon said.
Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on August 26, 2023 (Gitai Palti)
Some staff and students have joined protests against the overhaul, which has been advanced by Netanyahu’s unprecedentedly hardline coalition government.
The plan has sparked almost nine months of mass protests and warnings by professionals and public figures that the plan could undermine Israel’s democracy, its economy and its national security.
It has created unprecedented societal rifts, with threats by thousands of reservists to suspend their volunteer duties in protest of the overhaul, widespread talk of relocation abroad, and tech companies moving their capital overseas.
One bill of the original package has passed — blocking judicial scrutiny over the “reasonableness” of politicians’ decisions — and the High Court of Justice is set to hold a landmark hearing next month on petitions seeking to strike it down.
Though the rest of the legislation is currently on hold, a highly controversial bill to hand the coalition control of appointing most new judges could be advanced next when the upcoming Knesset session begins in October.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
