State Comptroller: Ministry of Education Needs to Do More on Shared Society and Prevention of Racism

The State Comptroller and Ombudsman, the Hon. Judge Joseph Haim Shapira, submitted a Special Report “Education for a Shared Society and Prevention of Racism” on September 22nd, 2016 to the President of Israel Reuven Rivlin. The Report is based on an audit of the activities of the Ministry of Education carried out from March through August of 2015.

View the introduction by Judge Joseph Haim Shapira, here.

View the Abstract and Summary of findings, here. 

Overall, the report finds that, though the Ministry of Education has, in various ways, acknowledged its role in promoting a democratic, free and tolerant society, it has fallen short of adequately implementing related measures. “Unfortunately, the findings of this report paint a disturbing picture regarding the minimal activities of the education system in support of the unity of Israeli society and toward eradication of the major problems of racism and xenophobia.”

A summary of major report findings follows:

• Non-implementation of guidelines (Kremnitzer Report) adopted in the late 1990s meant to bring about a change in approach to democratic, civic and ethical education, and put it at the head of the education system’s list of priorities.
• Lack of measurement of the phenomenon of racism by which it would be possible to know the scope of the phenomenon of racism in the education system and follow the activities being conducted in the schools for promoting the subject of a shared society and eradicating racism in the education system.
• Non-implementation of shared society programs as recommended in January 2008 by a public committee, appointed by the then Minister of Education, Prof. Yuli Tamir, formulating State policies on the subject of education for a shared society between Jews and Arabs.
• Non-integration of the subject of education for a shared society and prevention of racism in knowledge courses. In the framework of civics courses, the Ministry of Education did not integrate in the new civics curriculum, formulated in 2011,  nor the recommendations of the committee headed by Prof. Kremnitzer from the 1990s, which were intended, among other things, to ensure the strengthening of education for democratic values.
• Lack of training and professional development for teachers. Education for values and education for a shared society and prevention of racism are not included in the work plan of the Educators Training Division and its objectives.
• Limited action by the Society and Youth Administration. The Society and Youth Administration in the Ministry of Education, responsible for leading the area of informal education in junior and high schools, did not position the issue of education for a shared society and prevention of racism as an objective on its list of priorities and did not include handling of this issue in its work plan.
• Not fully exploiting activities with nongovernmental organizations. In practice, these organizations work randomly with different Ministry units, and the Ministry does not oversee any of their activities in order to ensure that they are working in a consistent, methodical and comprehensive way to fulfil the education system’s defined objectives and needs.

The report ends with a set of seven detailed recommendations for the Ministry of Education to “lead, without delaying, the education system using messages, and from preschool through to Grade 12, in dealing comprehensively, intensely, systematically, in a mandatory and structured way with the subject of education for a shared society and prevention of racism.” The recommendations include specifications on coordinating responsibilities, creating a systemic plan of action, allowing sufficient budgets, creating ongoing oversight and evaluation, enhancing teacher training, promoting “inter-sectorial meetings” and cross integration of teachers, implementing the recommendations of past Committees, and more.

Click here to view findings and recommendations.