18th September, 2015
The strike that Christian schools have been conducting for two weeks against what they say are discriminatory policies implemented against them by the Israeli Government represents a battle to defend education, a “basic human right that should not be denied to any young person”.
Thirteen patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem have this week released a statement saying that it “hurts us” to ” see 33,000 students of all faiths and denominations who remain out of classes”, while hundreds of teachers and employees sit in empty schools.
The statement says the dispute began two years ago after severe budget cuts were imposed upon the schools which news reports said are generally referred to as “recognised by official” meaning they are supposed to receive 75 per cent of the funding of state schools provided they teach 75 per cent of the curriculum.
In the statement, the solutions proposed so far by the Israeli Ministry to overcome the crisis are defined as unrealistic or pejorative.
“For hundreds of years”, says the text sent to Fides “our schools offered high level education. Our commitment to the service of education and in the promotion of our society is rooted in our very mission and our vision”.
The statement calls on the Ministry of Education and the Government of Israel to put in place measures to end the strike, by responding to the demands of Christian schools.
Fides reports that government subsidies to Christian schools have declined by more than 45 per cent over the past few years, forcing the institutions to increase the school fees paid by families, often with low incomes, below the national average.
The 47 Christian schools in Israel are attended by 33,000 children and employ 3,000 teachers. State subsidies have been dramatically reduced and now do not even cover 30 per cent of the expenses.
The protest reportedly saw some 450,000 Arab Israeli students stay home from school for a day in protest last week and has seen other protests taking place outside the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
– DAVID ADAMS (with Agenzia Fides)
