Herzliya Deputy Mayor, Tova Rafael called on Tuesday for the Education Ministry
to forbid pupils’ participation in door-to-door fund-raising for
NGOs.
Such activities are “risky” and “do not hold any educational value
to contribute to the child,” she wrote in a letter sent to the
ministry.
Rafael’s letter came after a 15-year-old in Herzliya robbed two
seventh-graders earlier this month as they took part in the annual March of
Dimes organized by the NGO ILAN, which assists people with neuromuscular
disabilities.
The nationwide event included some 10,000 children who
collected donations for the organization in their neighborhoods.
In the
letter, addressed to the Education Ministry’s director-general Dalit Stauber,
Rafael stressed that although such robberies are rare, it made her realize that
the education system should reconsider its policy on letting children engage in
door-to-door fund-raising.
“I think there is a level of risk when the
education system sends students to the homes of people with no security. It
creates a situation in which they carry cash around, which makes them targets
for criminals,” she wrote.
“The Herzliya education system teaches
students, from an early age, the values of mutual trust, acceptance of
differences, and social responsibility. They learn about the importance of
contributing to the community as well as social involvement and internalize
these values as part of their lifestyle,” Rafael continued.
“Door-to-door
fund-raising activities do not hold any educational value to contribute to the
child.”
Nowadays, charitable organizations can raise money using various
means such as text messages and social networking websites, she continued. This,
Rafael wrote, makes door-to-door type initiatives irrelevant and
outdated.
“Since there is no way to send youth to fund-raise safely and
since organizations can employ alternative methods, using pupils for this
purpose has become a cynical and unnecessary thing,” she explained. “The
ministry should therefore immediately forbid these initiatives and avoid
exposing children to unnecessary risks outside of schools.”
The ministry
released a statement on Wednesday explaining that it is “currently examining the
conclusions of the committee that investigates the issue of fund-raising in the
education system.”
The NGO ILAN did not wish to comment on the matter.
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