Jerusalem – The Education Ministry plans to include 500 Haredi teenagers in a technology matriculation program next school year.
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The program will combine core classes with religious studies, and is intended for 15- to 16-year-old boys who dropped out of yeshiva
The ministry is budgeting NIS 19 million to set up 20 classes at high schools around the country.
Over the next few days, the ministry will be calling on local authorities and education networks to submit candidates to take part in the program. Schools will be chosen based on criteria set by the ministry, which will give them an extra budget to absorb the new students.
“There are ultra-Orthodox children who have left the yeshivas and have nowhere else to learn. If we don’t create a way for them to work, they won’t be able to join the labor market since they lack basic skills,” said Dr. Ofer Ramon, head of the science and technology administration at the Education Ministry. “We’re offering a program that can give the ultra-Orthodox everything – religious studies and employment options. The program has been suited to the community.”
The program will include 14 matriculation points, including seven in technological fields such as computer science, vehicular engineering, electronics and electricity, as well as points in English and math.
Rabbis will teach the students religious subjects.
Participants will be able to continue their education at vocational schools to receive an engineering or technical certificate. Currently, very few ultra-Orthodox institutions teach English or math.
The program is part of the ministry’s plan to improve science and technology studies. It intends to increase the program’s budget over the next several years so it will cover the students’ high-school years and be able to grow.
While a small number of ultra-Orthodox high-schoolers are currently preparing for technology matriculation exams, it’s not clear whether members of this community will sign up en masse.
The Education Ministry, however, believes they’ll come.
“The process is very important for the economy, for society and for the labor market,” said Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar. “The program enables religious studies alongside preparation for a technological certificate, and will enable the students to continue on to higher education and give them excellent tools for the labor market.”
According to the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, the percentage of adult Haredi men not working has more than tripled in three decades; in 2008 it was 65%, up from 21% in 1979. As of 2009, 25% of children were studying at Haredi institutions.
Over the past several years, more Haredim have been entering the workforce, but ultra-Orthodox job-seekers often run into problems due to a lack of relevant education and skills.
Kudos to the israeli government for doing this, they should do the same in NY! Not everyone in the frum community is cut out for full time learning. It would be a major breakthrough if there would be anything of that kind. Like a “Chasidishe YU”!
Now if we can only have this program for Yeshiva kids before they drop out!
Ideological but unrealistic. Yeshiva dropouts will exhibit the same problems that caused them to drop out from Yeshiva in the first place. Dropouts are usually students with behavioral or academic issues, and these aren’t automatically corrected when learning different subject matter.
this is a very good idea, the only problem I see is that these boys will end up joining the army or even M.D.A or other organisations that might not be suitable for boys from frum homes, but that is down to us for not setting up more of this type of education, If the most Senior Rabbonim from around the world don’t start taking this so-called dropout situation very seriously, we will loose a lot more frum young people to the secular world, no one ells to blame but our community leaders