Over the last few weeks Minister of Education Shai Piron has taken the first steps in establishing a National Education Council. The council will formulate strategic policy for Israel’s education system, creating a buffer between political decisions and long-term planning and policy. The council will comprise 20-30 members, with representatives of the Ministry of Education, parents’ groups, teachers’ unions, school principals and local authorities. Among those set to be appointed to the council are three graduates of the Mandel Leadership Institute: Prof. Yaarah Bar-On, president of the Oranim Academic College of Education and graduate of MSEL cohort 6; Gila Ben Har, director of CET and graduate of Mandel School for Educational Leadership (MSEL) cohort 1; and Yoram Harpaz, graduate of cohort 1 and former director of MSEL.
The National Education Council will replace the existing Education Committee, whose members are appointed for a four-year term, and which has a limited remit. The government recently confirmed the temporary appointment of four new members to the Education Committee, among them two formerly of the Mandel Leadership Institute – Miriam Ben-Peretz, a former MLI faculty member, and Karen Tal, director of the Educational Insights initiative and formerly principal of the Bialik-Rogozin high school, and a graduate of MSEL cohort 11. These four new committee members are expected to join the National Education Council once it is formally established.
