Storm in the Education Ministry: Kisch freezes exams, RAMA director warns of irreversible damage

Dr. Gal Alon, director of the National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAMA), warns that Education Minister Yoav Kisch's decisions to freeze exams and sever cooperation could cause "irreversible damage," including the cancellation of exams in thousands of schools and harm to international studies. MK Merav Cohen demands a halt to the decisions pending a legal review.

Dr. Gal Alon, director of the National Authority for Measurement and Evaluation in Education (RAMA), warns that Education Minister Yoav Kisch's decisions to freeze exams and surveys and sever cooperation with the authority could cause "irreversible damage" to the education system. In a document he sent to the ministry's legal advisor, Adv. Sarit Haik Shpigelstein, Alon details consequences including the cancellation of exams in thousands of schools, harm to international studies such as TIMSS, PISA, and PIRLS, and the freezing of about 40 evaluation studies. The document presents a sharp conflict between the minister and the professional body, arguing that the decisions were made despite an inspection report recognizing the authority's professionalism. MK Merav Cohen appealed to the legal advisor, demanding an examination of the legality of the decisions and a freeze on their implementation. The conflict casts doubt on the continued operation of measurement and evaluation in the education system.