Political Economy Barriers on the Accessibility of Democratic Education
Background
Even before the establishment of the state, sectoral educational frameworks existed in Israel and were institutionalized during the first years. The transition to state education failed to overcome the forces working to preserve sectoralism. Later, economic-political interests of various parties, mainly in the ultra-Orthodox public, created barriers to attempts to integrate significant core studies within ultra-Orthodox education (for example, within ultra-Orthodox state education). Recent studies revealed that the root of the ultra-Orthodox parties’ opposition to core studies is not considerations of preserving culture and tradition, but rather the economic interests of those who head ultra-Orthodox education associations, whose livelihood depends on the continued flow of unique budgets. Thus, out of considerations of surrendering to the lobbyists who run education associations, the state gave up on confronting the lobby of the ultra-Orthodox education industry and limited the path of ultra-Orthodox students to active and contributing participation in society and its institutions, thereby increasing their and others’ trust in Israeli democracy
Accordingly, the necessary research will also examine, through comparative examination and learning from different models in the world, the possibility of removing the field of education from the changing control of political parties. Just as the fields of law and control of the capital market are entrusted to experts, so it can be thought that the field of education should also be conducted. A comparative examination of existing models in the world will make it possible to adapt the appropriate model to society in Israel. In particular, we will explore how it is possible to release barriers to the emergence of more comprehensive frameworks, frameworks that allow, for example, the assimilation of significant core studies within ultra-Orthodox education.
- A framework for neutralizing political influence on the determination of curricula, making it professional, transparent, and participatory.
- A framework for regulating private education in the ultra-Orthodox sector to disconnect economic-political incentives for the existence of private education networks and the existing incentives for blocking core civic studies, or a framework that creates economic incentives for the endowment of these studies.
