Haredi schoolchildren (illustrative)
Haredi schoolchildren (illustrative)Nati Shohat/Flash90

Directors of the independent haredi education system have ordered school principals not to cooperate with the inspection visits by the Education Ministry.

According to Hamevaser, the principals were told not to cooperate with the "Education Ministry's interfering inspection visits, and a message to that effect was sent to the heads of the Education Ministry as well."

Last week, Hamevaser, which is identified with the Ashkenazic-haredi UTJ movement, reported that Health Minister Yakov Litzman (UTJ) and Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush (UTJ) sent letters to the Education Ministry Director-General criticizing the Ministry for its interference in the haredi school system and demanding the visits cease.

"Despite the fact that it was decided that the visits would take place in coordination with the principals of independent schools, I have received many complaints of visits which were conducted without coordination and without any prior warning," Porush wrote. "Principals of schools where the visits were conducted have told me of unusual behavior on the part of the inspectors."

Litzman sent the Education Ministry Director General a letter saying: "As is known, over the years the 'independent education' system has lived up to its name - independent education. No body should interfere in it, in its curriculum, or in the teaching style, or anything related to maintaining the uniqueness of pure education, needs to remain under the independent education [system]."

"Suddenly students in haredi elementary schools find themselves being 'interrogated' by inspectors regarding the material they learned. Or a staff of inspectors spreads itself over all of the classrooms. This must cease immediately, and it should not be allowed to happen."