The test of the government that will be formed begins in the classroom

Michal Sela argues in an opinion piece that the real test of the next government is education for democracy, and calls for a mandatory program that includes teacher training and meetings between Jewish and Arab students.

Michal Sela, CEO of Givat Haviva, argues in an opinion piece that the real test of the next government is education for democracy. She criticizes outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech against Arab members of Knesset, and states that the outgoing government sent young people a message that aggression and incitement pay off politically. According to her, in the last elections about 640,000 young people voted for the first time, including more than 118,000 young Arabs, who grew up on a series of crises. Sela calls for a multi-year mandatory program for education for democracy from kindergarten, including teacher training and support, civic literacy in all subjects, and ongoing meetings between Jewish and Arab students. She emphasizes that the very partnership of Arab public representatives in the government is a lesson in citizenship. The article ends with a warning that without education for democracy, even a good government will find it difficult to repair the damage.