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| Hyraxes basking in the sun |
Friday passed without incident. It was rather calm this week. It'll be like this for the next month as Ramadan comes round. Last year was very subdued due to the Gaza war. There was no revelry at Damascus Gate ... no nargile stands, no music, no food stalls. Let's hope this year it'll be happier.
2 days back the first ever demonstration by catholic teachers and students took place in front of the Ministry of Education. They were protesting the discriminatory practices and rules that are leading christian schools to close down. The ministry has begun cutting subsidies to these "unofficial but recognised" schools as non-jewish schools are categorised. The 47 catholic schools have a matriculation graduation rate of 95% and 90% eligibility to universities - higher than any jewish school in the country. Yet because the catholic population is too small to be politically beneficial to political parties, they have been relegated to the backwaters of society. Students of catholic schools need to pay 4000 shekels a year, which is practically impossible for parents who are struggling to find work. Unable to pay for school fees, children stop going to school in order to work ... and the cycle of poverty and powerlessness continues. With the reduction of subsidies by the ministry, there has been a marked increase of requests for help which many teaching religious sisters have approached me in desperation ... and I can only do this though your help. In the past, your generosity has helped pay some 48 school children's fees and enabled them to continue studying at least for one more year.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/.premium-1.658600
2 days back the first ever demonstration by catholic teachers and students took place in front of the Ministry of Education. They were protesting the discriminatory practices and rules that are leading christian schools to close down. The ministry has begun cutting subsidies to these "unofficial but recognised" schools as non-jewish schools are categorised. The 47 catholic schools have a matriculation graduation rate of 95% and 90% eligibility to universities - higher than any jewish school in the country. Yet because the catholic population is too small to be politically beneficial to political parties, they have been relegated to the backwaters of society. Students of catholic schools need to pay 4000 shekels a year, which is practically impossible for parents who are struggling to find work. Unable to pay for school fees, children stop going to school in order to work ... and the cycle of poverty and powerlessness continues. With the reduction of subsidies by the ministry, there has been a marked increase of requests for help which many teaching religious sisters have approached me in desperation ... and I can only do this though your help. In the past, your generosity has helped pay some 48 school children's fees and enabled them to continue studying at least for one more year.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel/.premium-1.658600
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