The Education Ministry on Thursday appointed an Israeli Arab to head the
languages branch of the ministry’s pedagogic department, the first time someone
from the Arab sector has held the position.
Dr. Hani Mousa, who is from
the Arab village of Gedida outside of Acre, has worked for the ministry for 29
years and has spent the past 14 years as the head of Hebrew education in
Israel’s Arab school system.
According to the ministry, Mousa “achieved
great success in his role as the superintendent of Hebrew studies and developed
expertise in the field among the Arab sector, increasing the percentage of Arab
students finishing five units of study in the subject.” Mousa beat out four
other candidates for the job and was the only one of the three to come from the
Arab sector.
The ministry said Mousa has been highly successful at
developing new teaching methods for the Hebrew language at Arab schools,
including the building of a website to help Hebrew teachers in the Arab
sector.
All of Mousa’s academic degrees and certifications are from the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and they include a bachelor’s degree in
literature and history, certificates for Hebrew and Hebrew literature education,
and a doctorate in Jewish folklore.