"The Best for Education": Aliza Bloch's Plan for Systemic Reform

This morning (Tuesday), schools across the country opened their doors, but in the north, the new school year is far from a routine return to class. Following nearly three years of war, prolonged evacuations, and constant disruption, the education system in the Galilee is operating under a new, relatively stable security reality. Dr. Aliza Bloch, former mayor of Beit Shemesh, who spent the last two years helping rehabilitate the education system in the evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona, is now seeking to bring these critical issues to the Knesset as part of the "Ha-Achdut" ("Unity") party, led by Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein.

Field Experience

With decades of experience in education and local government, Bloch argues that decisions made in Jerusalem are often disconnected from reality. "I have gone through every stage of the system: from teaching at Givat Gonen in Jerusalem to managing the Branco Weiss network and leading a complex city. My time in the north highlighted how disconnected decision-makers are from those living on the front lines," she notes.

She points to the students of Kiryat Shmona as a prime example: "These children started 7th grade during the pandemic, were evacuated in 10th grade, and finished 12th grade during a war. Yet, the Ministry of Education demanded they take matriculation exams as usual, while during military operations in the center of the country, exams were canceled immediately. This sends a message that their struggles are not part of the Israeli story."

Key Proposals

Bloch’s plan seeks to decentralize the Ministry of Education and empower school principals. "We have turned teachers into clerks buried in bureaucracy. We must define education as a national mission and adopt a 'best for education' model," she states. Her plan includes:

1. Rewarding personal contracts for outstanding teachers.

2. Expanding managerial and budgetary autonomy for school principals.

3. Establishing a statutory civil-educational cabinet to coordinate emergency responses.

4. Transforming the 12th grade into a "national preparatory year" focused on leadership and civic commitment.

Haredi Education Reform

Bloch also addresses the tensions between Israel's education sectors. She calls for ending the division into political streams and mandating a core curriculum (at least 40%) in all schools, including Haredi institutions. "The real solution is to regulate state-Haredi education from kindergarten, ensuring a child can be both a Torah scholar and a doctor or engineer, a full partner in society," she argues.

While acknowledging that education rarely wins elections, Bloch insists on its strategic importance: "If we do not understand that the education arena is as critical as the arena against Hezbollah or Iran, we are in trouble. The cure for the Israeli rift will not come from political deals; it will grow solely from within the classrooms."