By Rina Rosenberg (Jabareen) | International Advocacy Director, Adalah
Despite promises, still no buses for Bedouin preschoolers
Dear Friends,
Season’s Greetings and health and happiness to all in the New Year!
During this holiday season, Adalah is continuing to work on behalf of Arab Bedouin families living in the Naqab (Negev) desert in the south of Israel to demand access to education for their children.
On the day after Christmas, 26 December 2017, a Beer Sheva Court is set to hold a hearing on an urgent demand of parents’ and Adalah: the court must enforce the Education Ministry’s commitment to provide school transport for 3 and 4 year-old Arab Bedouin children. The villages in which these children live do not have preschools (as well as many other basic services and facilities) and they must travel - sometimes for long or difficult journeys - out of their villages in order to reach schools.
Following Adalah’s petition to the court in May 2016, the Education Ministry promised in January 2017 to provide transport for preschool children living in Al-Sira and Al-Jaraf. As a result of this commitment, Adalah’s petition was withdrawn.
The Education Ministry did provide transport from March-June 2017, but ceased to operate school buses when the new school year began in September. Despite repeated queries from Adalah and parents in these communities, the Israeli authorities currently do not provide transportation.
Last week, Adalah petitioned the court again, asking that it compel the Ministry and a nearby Regional Council to abide by their commitment. State attorneys announced before the court in 2016 that the Education Ministry would allocate 50 million shekels (approximately US$14.2 million) to transport 3- and 4-year-old Bedouin school children to school. Around 5000 Arab Bedouin children require transport and/or appropriate preschool frameworks in their villages.
"When the state commits before the court, it is expected that it will abide by its commitment," Adalah wrote in the new petition. "The failure to abide by commitments leads to continued violations of the [Compulsory Education Law, which obligates the state] to provide free education for children aged three and four via preschool transport."
We hope that the court compels the state to do the right thing, to abide by the law and its commitment, and to provide access to preschool education for children.
We sincerely appreciate your help in ensuring that these children, and many more, can #MakeTheGrade.
We thank you for your continued support for Adalah's work.
Happy Holidays!
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