Shasha-Biton holds emergency panel against education system’s ‘yard sale’

Outgoing Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton hosted an “emergency conference” in the Knesset on Tuesday against the “yard sale” of the education system, with a number of ministers, Knesset members and mayors in attendance.

The conference addressed the fact that ultra-conservative MK Avi Maoz, in his coalition agreement with the Likud, secured control over the branch in the Education Ministry that presides over the “basket” of external programs that are offered to principals and teachers.

Speakers included Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Shasha-Biton, Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper, Housing Minister Ze’ev Elkin and others.

Speakers also included hostile Likud politician MK Shlomo-Karhi and Likud’s Ramat Gan mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen who spoke in support of the hosts.

Lapid said the Education Ministry was being broken up into parts due to the “extortion” of prime minister-designate and Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu’s negotiating partners. He gave as examples the fact that responsibility for the religious-Zionist education system had been moved to the Religious Zionist Party, that the external education programs were given to Noam’s MK Avi Maoz, and that the Israel Association of Community Centers had been promised to Shas head Arye Deri.

“Netanyahu is so weak, so dependent on them, that whoever wanted something immediately received it. Nothing is untouchable in their eyes – not the IDF, not the rule of law and not the education of the children of Israel,” Lapid said.

The outgoing prime minister bemoaned the fact that no one in the upcoming coalition expressed interest in becoming education minister,