The struggle over core curriculum: The Attorney General's ultimatum to the Ministry of Education

An opinion by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara states that if a unified core curriculum for the education system is not formulated by the upcoming 5787 (2026/27) school year, the religious education core curriculum will be applied in the Haredi party-affiliated education networks starting next year. This is in place of the Haredi program, which is particularly lenient and effectively allows Haredi institutions not to teach core subjects at all or not to teach them at the required level and quantity.

The Haredi party-affiliated education networks — the Independent Education of Agudat Yisrael and Bnei Yosef of Shas — receive funding equal to state education by virtue of a clause in the Budget Foundations Law that is considered highly discriminatory. In return, they are supposed to teach a full-scope core curriculum. However, in recent years it has become clear that dozens of percent of their institutions do not comply with this. The Hiddush organization for religious freedom and equality petitioned the Supreme Court last year demanding to compel the network institutions to teach a full core curriculum. The opinion was given as part of preparing the response to the petition. It is detailed in a letter sent by Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky to the Director General of the Ministry of Education, Meir Shimoni.

According to the State Education Law, the Ministry of Education must set one core curriculum for the entire education system. In practice, contrary to the law, the ministry set four programs — secular, religious, Arab, and Haredi, the latter containing many exemptions that empty it of content. The Attorney General determined that the upcoming 5787 school year, which begins the day after tomorrow, will be a transition year. If the core curriculum is not completed during it, the religious curriculum will be applied in the next 5788 school year in the Haredi party-affiliated education networks without any flexibility.

Additional transitional provisions set by the Attorney General for the Haredi party-affiliated education networks:

1. The exemptions in implementing the Haredi core curriculum will be cancelled, including the provision that in 7th-8th grades it is possible to teach 5 hours per week less of mathematics, English, and sciences.

2. The rule according to which Talmud Torahs that study beyond June 30 can study only 50% of the core curriculum will be cancelled.

3. The 'range' method, according to which an institution in the party-affiliated networks that teaches less than 100% receives proportional funding and is not removed from the network, will be cancelled starting from 5788.

4. A mandatory training program for teachers to teach core subjects will be established.

5. Full participation of the party-affiliated network institutions in the Ministry of Education's national exams will be ensured, and institutions that refuse will be removed from the network.

6. No new institution will be accepted into the party-affiliated education network if it does not meet the core curriculum requirements in full from the outset.