Nahari law cancellation approved for second and third readings

Bill revokes obligation of local authorities to fund non-state haredi schools that don't teach core curriculum.

By JEREMY SHARON
BOYS STUDY Talmud at their school’s synagogue in Bnei Brak 3 (photo credit: REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen)
BOYS STUDY Talmud at their school’s synagogue in Bnei Brak 3
(photo credit: REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen)
The Knesset Committee for Education, Culture and Sport approved a bill to revoke the so-called Nahari law, which obligates local authorities to fund non-state, usually haredi, schools.
The bill, which is now approved for its second and third readings in the Knesset plenum, nevertheless permits local authorities to fund so called “recognized but unofficial” schools if they so wish.
Many haredi children attend such schools, which are technically expected to teach 75 percent of the core curriculum subjects, but in fact teach very little secular studies at all, in return for funding at the rate of 75 percent of an official state run school.
The bill, which amends the previous law, will require local authorities to fund recognized but unofficial schools at 50 percent for the coming school year, but will not require the disbursement of any funds at all in the year after that.
The law, passed in 2007, was named after its main sponsor Shas MK Meshulam Nahari.
Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie described the revocation of the Nahari law as a correction of an historic mistake.
“Opposition to this bill from the haredi leadership does not reflect the mood of the haredi street which is interested in core curriculum studies, to acquire a profession and to support themselves in dignity,” Lavie noted.
“This is not coercive. The haredi education system will not be obligated to study the core curriculum... but it will not be able to continue to ignore decisions of the state and at the same time continue to receive funding.”