בית הספר הפרטי מת, תחי ההפרטה

This article studies the privatization of education in Israel in the past ten years, focusing on three important processes that have not been sufficiently addressed in the legal and educational literature: the incorporation of private schools into the public education system; publicization of Ultra-orthodox schools; and delegation of the management and operation of public schools from local authorities to private education networks.The examination of these processes show that Israel’s education policy in the past ten years does not comply with the typical characteristics of privatization. In fact, some of these even constitute, officially at least, a retreat from privatization, by widening the public sector’s involvement in education. However, these processes do not contribute to the realization of the goals of public education in a democratic state, including promoting equal opportunity, providing civic education, and ensuring all students receive an adequate education. Instead, the processes have eroded the distinction between public and private education, which is no longer a helpful indicator for the strength of the public education system in Israel.