Ir Amim: 1,461 missing classrooms...and exploiting the education crisis in Jerusalem to impose Israeli curriculum
Ir Amim released a new report on the start of the 2025-2026 school year, warning of a dangerous escalation in Israeli educational policy in East Jerusalem, which stipulates that any new classrooms or schools will be subject to mandatory enrollment in the Israeli curriculum.
According to the report, the shortage of classrooms stands at 1,461, according to municipal data. This policy exploits this existing shortage, creating a pressure tool that forces Palestinian parents, students, and teachers to choose between continuing to endure a severe shortage of classrooms, including overcrowding and dilapidated buildings, or abandoning the Palestinian curriculum, which is based on their identity and culture, and adopting the Israeli curriculum.
The report indicated that the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality have clarified that any new classrooms or schools established within the government's development plan will be conditional on operating exclusively according to the Israeli curriculum. The report indicated that the number of Palestinian students enrolled in the Israeli curriculum increased during the 2024-2025 academic year to approximately 22,966 students, representing 27% of the 6-17 age group in East Jerusalem.
The report also documented an unprecedented wave of legislation over the past year targeting the Palestinian education system, most notably:
• January 2025: The UNRWA Ban Law came into effect, leading to the closure of seven schools in East Jerusalem and affecting approximately 1,100 students.
• The "Teacher Harassment Law": This law gives the Israeli Minister of Education the power to withdraw funding and prevent the employment of teachers based on their declared opinions.
• July 2025: A law was proposed prohibiting the employment of Palestinian university graduates, exacerbating the educational staff shortage crisis.
Ir Amim said that this policy represents a "direct attack on the right of East Jerusalem children to learn according to their identity, culture, and heritage," stressing that Israel is exploiting the severe shortage of classrooms as a means of pressure to impose the Israeli curriculum on students, teachers, and parents.
