The National Parents’ Leadership Association called on the Education Ministry to reject the Teachers’ Union’s ultimatum to limit the integration of children with disabilities into classrooms on Friday.
While teachers are threatening strike action over staffing shortages, parents are attacking the demand and describing it as dangerous discrimination.
In response to threats by Teachers’ Union chairwoman Yaffa Ben-David, the National Parents’ Leadership Association appealed to the Education Ministry’s director-general, demanding that the move be rejected.
“The Parents’ Leadership Association views the Teachers’ Union’s letter with great concern,” the organization said in a statement. “This is an improper, discriminatory, and dangerous demand that cannot be accepted in an education system committed to the values of equality, inclusion, and acceptance of others. Instead of fighting for additional staffing positions, the Teachers’ Union has chosen to direct the spotlight at the children themselves.”
Parents’ Leadership Association chairman Oren Ozen stated: “The state’s role is to provide teachers with the tools needed for successful integration, not to remove children from the classroom. The education system cannot afford to send a message of exclusion.”
His deputy, Tzofit Golan, added that Ben-David’s message was “outrageous, dangerous, and unacceptable. Anyone lacking a budget should fight for resources, not for the removal of children.”
The Teachers’ Union, however, rejected the criticism. Anat Dadon, chairwoman of the union’s Early Childhood Department, responded by saying that the Inclusion Law in its current form is “a tragedy in the making.”
According to Dadon, “The intention behind the law is worthy, the problem lies in the way it is implemented. When a classroom includes five to seven students entitled to individualized support packages, without enough assistance hours and professional staff, educational teams find themselves facing an impossible task. The agreement was for up to two such students per class, but in practice there are two or three times that number.”
She also called on parents to direct their criticism at the government: “The kindergarten teachers and teachers are not the problem. They are doing far more than what is required under impossible conditions. The anger should not be directed at those on the front lines, but at those who made decisions without providing staffing positions and manpower.”
Dadon stressed that the situation primarily harms the students themselves: “This is not a failure of kindergarten teachers, teachers, or parents. It is a failure of policy that was not backed by resources.”
Source:
www.jpost.com
