Slippery Slope

Journalist Shalom Yerushalmi claims that Minister of Education, Gideon Sa’ar (Likud), received a complete “defensive shield” from publication of uncomplimentary items about him from former Ma’ariv editor, Nir Hefetz.

(Hebrew Audio – Seder Yom)

In a workbook on “Israeli tradition and culture” published by the Ministry of Education were included, alongside quotes from the bible, statements by Palmach commander Yigal Alon, and writer Alex Livan, also a quote from Minister of Education Gideon Saar (Halikud Beitenu). Following the quotations pupils were asked questions about Saar’s position.

(Hebrew)

Minister of Education, Gideon Sa’ar (Likud), said last week that the achievements of Israeli pupils in an international test in mathematics “reflect a transformation”, even though the ministry knew that a comparison between the results of the latest test and the previous ones is not possible.  At the bottom of pg 422 of the TIMSS 2011 report there is a note stating that “data [are] not comparable for measuring trends to 2011, primarily due to countries improving translations or increasing population coverage.” (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

Tel-Aviv-Yafo Council member Shlomo Maslawi (Likud), wrote a letter of complaint to Minister of Education Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) about the appearance of Marak Levinsky soup kitchen activists in front of Tel-Aviv-Yafo high-school students, and demanded that he forbid their entrance to the city’s educational institutes.

(Hebrew – Mynet)

According to a plan by Minister of Education Gideon Sa’ar one of the items affecting school budgets and teacher bonuses will be the percentage of students who perform military or civilian national service. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

The Minister of Education, Gideon Saar, plans to set-up a special committee to determine whether to allow the opening of new Political Science departments in universities.

(Hebrew – nrg)

Knesset Education Committee Chairman, MK Alex Miller (Yisrael Beitenu), has proposed a bill following recent Nakba Day commemoration ceremonies in various universities, which would hold a university responsible for the content of events held by students.  In the framework of the bill, the Minister of Education, in his role as the chairman of the Higher Education Council, could impose sanctions on institutions which support or allow an activity “which essentially constitutes a denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic state, promotes racism, violence or terrorism or support of an armed conflict or terrorist attack against the state”.  (Middle East Monitor)

(Hebrew - Haaretz)

The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel has sent a letter to the Minister of Education and the director of the ministry requesting that disciplinary proceedings be opened against a group of teachers who announced that they will refuse to tour Hebron with their students.

(Hebrew)

Speaking at the Knesset plenum on Wednesday, Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) announced that in light of the success of a pilot program of school trips to Hebron and the Cave of Patriarchs, it was his intention to expand the project to schools across the country.

Minister of Education, Gideon Saar, joined the students visit to the Cave of The Patriarchs as part of an educational program called Visits To The Land Of Our Forefathers. State School Branco Weiss in Beit Shemesh was the first school in the program, formulated by the Jerusalem District Administration and the Society and Youth Administration in the Ministry of Education. The program includes tours of Gush Etzion, arrival at Givat Hakrav Observation, and tours of the Cave of the Patriarchs and Museum Beit Hadassah in Hebron.

(Hebrew )