Christian Schools Reject Education Ministry Offer to End Strike

The Secretariat of Christian Schools in Israel rejected the offer made to them by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, September 9, to resolve the crisis between the two sides over state funding for Christian schools. Even though the school year began almost two weeks ago, some 33,000 pupils from 47 Christian schools around the country have not returned to the classroom yet, due to what the Secretariat has described as drastic and “discriminatory cuts” to the state’s allocations for Christian schools.

Thousands rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday, September 6, to demand more funds for Christian schools.

Thousands rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday, September 6, to demand more funds for Christian schools. (Photo: Al Ittihad)

Hadash MK Yousef Jabareen (Joint List) told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that more protests are being planned. On Tuesday, Jabareen sent a letter explaining the dispute to all foreign embassies in Israel and requesting their support in “the ongoing struggle of these schools.” In recent years, he wrote, “these schools have been under attack. The Ministry of Education has initiated a unilateral, systematic policy of budget-cuts, aimed at starving these schools of funds.” He also claimed that the ministry had sent warning letters to several of these schools threatening to refuse renewal of their licenses.

The Christian schools are categorized as recognized but unofficial, meaning they are entitled to 75% of the funding that fully state-run schools receive. The Secretariat of Christian Schools claims however that the Ministry of Education has repeatedly reduced the number of state-funded teaching hours in the Christian sector from 1.1 hours per student in the 2003/2004 school year to 0.66 hours per student for the current year. According to the secretariat, this reduction means that while the Ministry is still paying for 75% of the hours taught, the reduction in state-funding means that the total allocation to Christian schools has declined to between 29% and 34% of the actual cost.

Related:

All Arab Schools in Israel to Strike on Monday in Solidarity with Underfunded Christian Schools