Following far-right Education Minister Yoav Kisch’s threats this week to impose economic sanctions on universities if they refuse to pledge that they will not strike or protest against the government, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation will discuss on this coming Sunday a bill proposed by MK Avichai Boaron (Likud) to ban strikes in higher education institutions. According to the proposed law, should an institution join or declare a strike or any disruption of studies, the education minister would be authorized to withhold a portion of its budget and redistribute it to other institutions that did not strike.
Nakba Day commemoration event held last year at the entrance to Tel Aviv University. Among participants: Hadash MKs Aida Touma-Sliman and Ofer Cassif (Photo: Zo Haderekh)
The bill severely harms the academic freedom of the universities, yet it claims to “establish a balance between freedom of expression and academic freedom, and the use of political strikes.” Boaron has previously submitted another bill regarding a government takeover of higher education and is now presenting a proposal focused solely on preventing academic strikes and imposing sanctions on institutions that do so.
Last Wednesday, Kisch turned to the heads of universities and demanded they sign a written commitment to “refrain from promoting political agendas on campuses.” Otherwise, Kisch threatened, the far-right government would advance legislation imposing budgetary sanctions on the institutions. According to the letter sent by Kisch, the heads of the institutions are required to pledge to “prevent disruptions, shutdowns, or strikes in institutional activities stemming from political disputes or struggles, and to clarify that there is no place for strikes or harming the proper conduct of higher education institutions for political reasons”.
In response to Kisch’s demand, the Association of University Heads (VERA) stated: “We will not allow the Education Minister to drag academia into his political survival struggles,” and emphasized: “It is deeply regrettable that at a time when higher education is battling international boycotts, the Minister chooses to weaken it from within to garner votes in the primaries.” According to VERA, Kisch did not contact the university heads before publishing the letter, and they “have never agreed to any restriction on freedom of expression or action, or to any harm to the independence of higher education institutions”.
The first democratic test for higher education will take place this coming Wednesday, at an event commemorating Nakba Day held annually at Antin Square at the entrance to Tel Aviv University, initiated by the Arab-Jewish student cell of Hadash. The event will take place at 12:00 PM, and at 10:00 AM, the Zochrot association will conduct a tour of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwannis, which was destroyed in 1948 and upon whose ruins Tel Aviv University was established. The tour will depart from 10 Lebanon Street, and its participants will later join the event at Antin Square.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=30344
