Education for political literacy among Israeli youth in the 1970’s: The policy perspective

• In Event: Political Involvement of Youth in the Sixties and Seventies in Israel

Abstract

The Israeli State Education Law of 1953 introduced significant reforms to the Israeli education system by establishing a centralized state framework that serves as a unifying structure for the diverse segments of society. This legislation aimed to strike a delicate balance between the state's authority to oversee all aspects of education, including curriculum, teacher training, and ethical standards, and the various sectors' desire to maintain their educational independence. The ongoing tension between these two forces remains a defining feature of the Israeli education system.
A key point of contention within this tension is the realm of political education and the promotion of political literacy among students. Chapter 19 of the 1953 law explicitly prohibits teachers and staff from engaging in partisan or political propaganda within educational institutions, a provision that has been interpreted over time as a broader prohibition against addressing political issues altogether.
This paper analyzes policy documents, primarily from the Ministry of Education, related to political education and the cultivation of political literacy within school curricula. It explores the primary arguments and considerations that influenced the educational landscape of that era regarding the integration of political education. The analysis reveals that while the importance of fostering political literacy in future citizens was recognized as crucial, the prevailing practice of excluding political content from the educational sphere endured and influenced how educational institutions responded to youth political activism.

Author

• Tammy Hoffman, Kibbutsim College of Education