Today I took my children to school for the opening of the school year. Loaded down with new books for the year there is no way they could have managed without help from their parents. We are among the fortunate ones in Israel. The school is well managed (all things are relative), well equipped and all in all provides a positive environment in which our children can learn and flourish.
I say fortunate because by all accounts the story is not the same across the country. In Petah Tikvah, Israeli children of Ethiopian decent have been refused places at schools in a wanton display of of racism. They cannot come to school because they are "black", because they are primitive. This kind of behaviour belongs in the southern United states of the 1960s, not in a supposed modern democratic society in the twenty first century.
In Sderot, test were introduced for children applying for places for year 1, something that by my understanding is technically illegal in the country. The local authority get round this rule by applying the tests as workshops not "tests", thereby flouting the law. the end result is that many children, looking forward to their first year in "big school" are left without a place and their parents left fighting again for their children;s basic right.
In the Arab population I understand that there are over one thousand pupils left without a place in school for this year. This is a totally unacceptable situation which must be addressed as a matter of urgency, just as the above incidents must be.
However it seems to me that the problem runs far deeper and that, Israel's approach to the young in the country is deeply flawed and in desperate need of improvement, if not a complete overhaul. Only today I read in the paper that according to the UN, Israeli youth have one of the highest rates of Heroin use in the world, with 1.9 percent of 12 -18 year olds having used the drug. In addition Israel a country of circa 7 million uses more ecstasy tablets than the UK, with a population of circa 60 million. last night a powerful documentary programme revealed the extent of street violence in Israel, directly related to the consumption of alcohol by young people. Anyone who viewed the attack by a gang of drunken youths on an innocent bystander could not help but feel shock and horror. The murder of Leonard Karp by a gang of drunken youths on a Tel Aviv beach promenade also attests to the shameful situation on our streets.
So when was it that we decide to give up on our children. The greatest natural resource we have is not just being wasted, it is being sabotaged. The continued cuts in education and social welfare continues to take its toll on out young. When I became a parent for the first time a friend pointed out to me, "how my child sees me live my life is how he understand life needs to be lived". Perhaps this is also the situation for a country. When our young witness the adult population behave in a certain manner, well it is no surprise that they will tend to follow suit. There are great people in this country for sure and great youngsters, who are for sure the most precious and important asset in the country. This asset must be nurtured and protected, not forgotten and cast aside for short term expediency.
However , the lack of commitment to education and social welfare in this country is taking its toll. The disintegration of our education system is impacting directly not just on our youth but on the young adults who have now left a system which thirty years ago was one of the best in the world and today sadly languishes at the bottom of many a league table. The lack of funding for education and social welfare ultimately has its price in rising crime levels and decreasing levels of achievement in science technology and the arts. All of these are areas in which this country has excelled to date allowing Israel to contributed far beyond expectations to the world at large. If the current situation is allowed to continue, not only will we be living in a more violent society with questionable values. We will also be living in a country which will cease to excel. Excellence begins in first grade, even earlier in our kindergartens.
We ignore this situation at our peril. Parents need to take more interest and have more involvement in their children;s lives, providing clear boundaries and guidance. They need to demand of their that their schools educate their children, not just in order to pass exams but in order to develop them as individuals and responsible members of society. The country's leaders must create an environment where the idea of a civil society is not just promoted but brought into being. In a civil society it is the responsibility of those more fortunate, in this case those who's children have the benefit of a good education; to ensure that such education is available to all.
The future of every man, woman and child in this country is at stake and as such it is incumbent on each and every one of us to ensure that as parents, as teachers, as citizens, we do not give up on our children.
