Education Ministry begins enforcement: teachers who will no longer be able to teach in schools

The Education Ministry has begun enforcing the law prohibiting the employment of teachers with academic degrees from Palestinian institutions. The directive was distributed to district managers, with exceptions requiring special approval. A new survey by Hashomer Hachadash and the Rikman Institute found that 67% of the public believe such teachers do not strengthen identification with the state. A petition to the High Court against the law is still pending.

The Education Ministry has begun enforcing the law prohibiting the employment of teaching staff with academic degrees from higher education institutions in the Palestinian Authority. The official directive was distributed to district managers and human resources personnel, establishing a ban on employment, alongside exceptions allowing in certain cases to request special approval. The law, approved by the Knesset in January at the initiative of MKs Amit Halevi and Avichai Boaron from Likud, amends the State Education Law and the Supervision of Schools Law. In parallel, a new survey by Hashomer Hachadash and the Rikman Institute, conducted via the Smith Institute, found that about 67% of the public believe that teachers with Palestinian education do not contribute to strengthening their students' sense of identification with the state. The head of the Rikman Institute, Hagai Reznik, and the CEO of Hashomer Hachadash, Yoel Zilberman, supported the law and the policy. However, a petition to the High Court against the law is still pending, filed by the Association for Civil Rights and other petitioners, including the Follow-up Committee on Arab Education. The procedure includes an appeal mechanism to the Education Minister within 21 days.