The Knesset Research and Information Center 15 Shevat 5779 21 January 2019 Bilingual Institutions (Hebrew–Arabic) in the Education System This document was prepared at the request of MK Yousef Jabareen, and it presents concise information on bilingual education institutions in which both Hebrew and Arabic are used as languages of instruction. Since gaining independence, the State of Israel has maintained separate education systems based on the nationality and religion of the students' parents. In recent years, a growing number of initiatives have deviated from this separation, creating new, mixed educational settings of a different and diverse character. One such initiative is evident in bilingual educational institutions attended by both Jews and Arabs, where Hebrew and Arabic are used equally as languages of instruction and two teachers are in the classroom simultaneously, each teaching in a different language. The schools observe the religious and national holidays of all their students. The main idea behind this initiative is to create an egalitarian, bilingual educational environment of mutual respect and equality for both groups.1 Various studies have indicated the positive contribution of bilingual schools to addressing the difficulties posed by the rift between Jews and Arabs in Israel. At the same time, however, it seems that these schools are facing challenges in implementing their model. For instance, it appears that the Arab students and teachers have a better command of the Hebrew language than Jewish students and teachers do of Arabic; as a result, Hebrew is the more dominant and common language in the classrooms and schoolyards. Furthermore, attempts to provide a space for the national identity and narrative of each 1 Dr. Natan Berber, summary of Muhammad Amara, "Bilingual Education Model of Hand in Hand: Vision and Challenges," MOFET Institute MASA Portal, 2014 [Hebrew]. The full article (also in Hebrew) is available in Issues of Language Teaching in Israel, vol. 2, eds. Smadar Donitsa-Schmidt and Ofra Inbar-Lourie, pp. 56–73 (Tel Aviv: MOFET Institute, 2014). Tel: 02 – 6408240 www.knesset.gov.il/mmm The Knesset, Research and Fax: 02 - 6496103 Information Center K i r y a t B e n - Gurion, Jerusalem 91950 group have, in some cases, intensified the delicate nature of the relations between Jews and Arabs.2 The initiative to establish bilingual education institutions was taken not by the Ministry of Education but rather by parent groups or non-governmental organizations (such as Hand in Hand, the community of the Wahat al-Salam—Neve Shalom cooperative village, and the Hagar community in Beer Sheva). The Ministry of Education has no official definition of a bilingual institution; however, in response to our inquiry, the ministry stated that it encourages diversity and uniqueness in the education system with a view towards the world that graduates of the education system will join. Recognition of the uniqueness of bilingual schools is granted by the Committee for Special Non-Regional Schools and Learning Spaces within the Ministry of Education, in a similar manner to the way the unique nature of other special schools (democratic, anthroposophic, etc.) is approved.3 Naturally, operating institutions where two teachers teach simultaneously requires financial resources beyond those provided to institutions through the regular Ministry of Education budgeting formula. According to the Education Ministry's response to our inquiry, it appears that bilingual institutions do not receive extra funding from the ministry despite their unique nature; therefore, the additional resources they require are raised independently through donations and payments from students' parents. We note in this context that a policy paper on the integration of Jews and Arabs in Israeli schools published by the Taub Center stated that students in bilingual schools usually come from well-off, educated households. It is also stated that although school principals tend to claim that the schools are attended by students with a lower socioeconomic standing, in reality, such students compose only a small percentage of the overall student body.4 2 Zvi Bekerman, "The Graduate(s): The Harvests of Israel’s Integrated Multicultural Bilingual Education," Race Ethnicity and Education, 21 (2018): 335–352; idem, "Identity versus Peace: Identity Wins," Harvard Educational Review, 79 no. 1 (2009): 74–83; Natan Berber, summary of Muhammad Amara, "Bilingual Education Model of Hand in Hand: Vision and Challenges," MOFET Institute MASA Portal, 2014 [Hebrew]; Zvi Bekerman, "Shaping Reconciliatory Memory: Towards Palestinian-Jewish Co-Existence Through Bilingual Education," in Memory Games: Concepts of Time and Memory in Jewish Culture, ed. Yotam Benziman, pp. 231–248 (Van Leer Institute and Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2008) [Hebrew]. 3 Dr. Shosh Nahum, Senior Deputy-Director General and Head of Pedagogical Administration Section, Ministry of Education, response to the inquiry by the Knesset Research and Information Center, December 2018. 4 Uri Shwed, Yossi Shavit, Maisalon Dellashi, and Moran Ofek, Integration of Arab Israelis and Jews In Schools in Israel, in 2014 State of the Nation Report, ed. Dan Ben-David (Taub Center, 2014). The Knesset 5 of 2page Research and Information Center Moreover, according to Ministry of Education data, some bilingual schools require higher payments from the parents than do regular schools within the education system (NIS 2,000–5,000 per student annually).5 Currently, eight schools (seven elementary schools and one high school) and at least 15 kindergartens in Israel defined themselves as bilingual. The first bilingual institution was established in 1984 in Neve Shalom, and it consisted of a kindergarten class that later evolved into a school. In 1998, the second bilingual school was founded by the NGO Hand in Hand in Misgav Regional Council (Galil Jewish–Arab School), and a year later the organization opened a school in Jerusalem. In 2004, the bilingual Bridge over the Wadi school was founded in Wadi Ara, and in 2007, Hagar (Degania) was opened in Beer Sheva.6 In recent years, two existing schools were converted into bilingual schools: Kulna-Yahad in Jaffa (since 2016) and Ahmadiyya Kababir School in Haifa (since 2017). In addition, a framework for first graders was opened this year in Beit Berl.7 Number of Students in Bilingual Schools, by sector, 2013-20198 Other Arabs Nationalities Jewish (including (including Total Bedouin) Druze and Circassians)9 662 1,019 91 2018/19 1,772 )37%( )58%( )5%( 610 945 77 2017/18 1,632 (37%) (58%) (5%) 496 884 72 2016/17 1,452 (34%) (61%) (5%) 404 751 74 2015/16 1,229 (33%) (61%) (6%) 341 697 68 2014/15 1,106 (31%) (63%) (6%) 5 Source: Ministry of Education (2017/18 5778 School Year Data). 6 Dr. Aura Mor-Sommerfeld, Bilingual Education in Israel, A Pedagogy of Relations, Haifa as a Possible Model, in Haifa Between Reality and a Vision for a Shared City, ed. Rolly Rosen, pp.298–307 (Shatil, 2012). 7 Based on data from Hand in Hand (January 2019). 8 Source: 2013/14–2017/18 data are from the Ministry of Education Economics and Budgeting Administration; 2018/19 data are taken from Dr. Shosh Nahum, Senior Deputy-Director General and Head of Pedagogical Administration Section, Ministry of Education, response to the inquiry from the Knesset Research and Information Center, December 2018. For Kulna-Yahad and Ahmadiyya Kababir, we decided to use the data we received from Hand in Hand, as they refer only to the grades in which the bilingual model is being used, whereas the Ministry of Education data also include grades in which the bilingual model is not being used. 9 The percentage of Druze and Circassians in this group is extremely low. The Knesset 5 of 3page Research and Information Center Other Arabs Nationalities Jewish (including (including Total Bedouin) Druze and Circassians)9 344 705 72 2013/14 1,121 (31%) (63%) (6%) The data indicate that during the years presented in the chart, the number of students in bilingual schools grew by approximately 58% (1,772 students in 2018/19, compared to 1,121 students in 2013/14). It further shows that Arabs make up the majority of the students at bilingual schools, although their percentage declined slightly during the years presented in the chart alongside an increase in Jewish students (Arab students made up some 58% of all students in 2018/19, compared to some 63% in 2013/14).10 Note that despite the aforementioned growth in the number of students in bilingual schools, they constitute a very small percentage of the students in the education system (some 1.2 million students attend regular schools under State supervision in the current school year). There are also several bilingual (Hebrew-Arabic) kindergartens operating in the education system. We do not have the exact number of such institutions or the number of the students that attend them, but based on data we received from the Ministry of Education and Hand in Hand—as well as on various online reports—we estimate that there are at least 15 kindergartens with several hundred students. Data we received from Hand in Hand indicate that, in the current school year, 470 students are attending bilingual kindergartens operated by the NGO in five localities (compared to some 80 students in the NGO's kindergartens in 2013/14). Written by: Assaf Weininger Approved by: Yuval Vurgan, Team Leader 10 One explanation attributes the imbalance to the fact that Jewish families have many more options for their children's education,