The Social and Welfare Fields Audit Division at the Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman held (18.5.2023) an Exposure Convention for two of the most prominent chapters in the annual report published by the State Comptroller this month (2.5.2023): the report which examined the placement of children at risk in boarding schools, foster care and adoption; and the report which examined the Government's handling of inaction among young people in Arab society.
The State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Matanyahu Englman, opened the Convention, which was held at his office in Jerusalem. "Our audits express how we are dealing with the gaps in Israeli society. We always understand that there are human beings behind our reports, and it is important for us to relate to the different populations", he said. "Innovation in audit is expressed in these two reports. We have implemented in them methodologies of data analysis on gigantic scales".
The first part of the Convention, which dealt with the report on the placement of children at risk in boarding schools, foster care and adoption, opened with a survey of the main findings presented by Dr. Naama Katzin Moskovitz and Dr. Liron Nathan, who wrote the report. The audit, during which data was analyzed relating to about 1.6 million children who had been removed from their homes over the years, showed that children who had grown up in boarding schools achieved poorer results in their matriculation examinations, and in a variety of aspects. It further transpired that only 10% of the children who had been removed from their home returned to it after the parents and the child had undergone rehabilitation.
After the data had been presented, a panel was conducted on the matter of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs' policy in dealing with children who had been removed from their homes. Moriah Plus, a graduate of the "Eden" boarding school, moved the audience when she spoke about the difficulties she had undergone until she learned to regard the boarding school as a warm home.
Yael Sahar, Director of the Department for the Individual, the Welfare and Social Services Administration at the Beit Shemesh Municipality, highlighted the difficulties of the social workers: "The solutions proposed by the State for children removed from their home are defective solutions. A decision may be made to remove a child to a boarding school - and then sometimes I am forced to wait six months until a place becomes available".
Prof. Anat Zeira from the School of Social Work and Social Welfare at the Hebrew University defined the Comptroller's report as "Extraordinary in its quality. The data is eye-opening and demands attention. There should be a body at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs which will continue the study you conducted".
Rakefet Atzmon, Director of the Child Services (Adoption) at the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, noted that "We very much appreciate the report and accept it, even if we have some reservations about it. As I see it, the report is a wonderful tool for helping us to implement the policy. Some of the processes, which we have already begun to implement, will be accelerated following the Comptroller's report".
Another panel was dedicated to the perspective of foster families and adoptive families. Benny Saville, Chairman of the Mishpachta (the Israeli Adoption Community) non-profit organization, spoke about the two children he adopted with his wife - and who are being raised together with their four biological children: "I was worried how I could bond with children who were not my own. But something happened which I did not expect. My view of life changed completely".
Tammy and Avi Greyinik adopted their son (13) when he was one year and eight months old. "The first year was very hard for me, I functioned like a robot", recalls Tammy. "Only years later I understood that I was in post-adoption depression, a phenomenon which is hardly ever spoken about. I had no idea that the State offers services which can help adoptive parents in such a situation. Nobody explained to us what our rights were. Only during the covid-19 pandemic did they remember to ask whether we were receiving any money for the child from the Welfare Services".
Dr. Irit Negbi, Coordinator of the Pre-Schoolers Planning, Care and Evaluation Committee at the Rishon LeZion Municipality, spoke about the study she had conducted among fathers of children who had been removed from their home by a court order: "The fathers feel that they did not do their job properly. Everyone blames them for not keeping their children at home and nobody sees their distress".
Galit Shuva spoke about the treatment unit for families whose children had been removed from home, as she was one of the founders of the unit in the Social Services Department at the Rishon LeZion Municipality: "We understood that from children savers we had to become families savers".
The second part of the Convention was devoted to the report that examined the Government treatment of the inaction among young people in Arab society. After the opening words of the Division Director, Liora Shimoni, the audit directors who wrote the report, Dr. Hodaya Lampert and Dr. Guy Elad, presented its main findings.
The audit found that about 29% of young Arabs are not studying, working or undergoing professional training. These are about 57,000 young people who are inactive - twice as much as the average OECD rate. The Comptroller found that the situation was especially severe in Bedouin society: only 5% of Bedouin students were eligible for a matriculation certificate. The Comptroller warned that the education system does not provide Arab students with the tools and skills essential for a career and academic studies. About 96% of the candidates for teaching Hebrew in Arab schools had not even passed a language proficiency test. After the students have graduated from high school they are not fluent in Hebrew at the level required in order to pass the entrance examinations for universities and colleges.
"When I started studying at the university, for two months I sat in lectures without understanding a word", said Hatem Abu Qwaider, principal of the "Neve Midbar" school, in a panel conducted on the blocks, challenges and opportunities in education and higher learning for young Arabs. "All the Bedouin friends who were studying with me dropped out of their studies after one month. Therefore, it is important for me that my students get to know the Hebrew language from first grade. This is the gateway to co-existence".
Abu Qwaider added that "The problem with us in the sector is the lack of motivation, and the covid-19 pandemic has only made it worse. The young people prefer to sleep all day and party all night. The lack of personal security of Israeli Arabs influences the young people's motivation. We need a silver lining.
Dr. Marian Tehawkho, Head of the Center for Economic Policy for the Arab Society at the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy at Reichman University, said that "The Arab education system is presently very weak. The main reason is not budgetary, but the quality of the teaching and management. The system only promotes those who are strong, it has no solution for the weak. A clear strategy is needed for the "transparent" students".
Shirin Natour Hafi, the Director of Arab Education Department A at the Ministry of Education, testified that she relies on the report in the preparation of work documents. "The Arab teacher has become a punching bag. Violence is a symptom of what is happening in the school. The key to a solution lies with the community and the local authorities", she warned. "The way in which we are guiding the children is conservative".
Ori Ziv, Program Director of Accessibility and Pre-Academic Programs at the Council for Higher Education, said that "The story during the past decade is the integration of the Arab student into academia. This has been an unprecedented success. Young Arab women have understood the power of academic studies in improving their lives".
Another panel dealt with the integration of young inactive Arabs into employment. Dr. Nasreen Haddad Haj-Yahya, a partner at the Portland Trust and a member of NAS Research and Consulting, made an appeal "to place the data of education among Arab men at the top of the list of priorities". She said that "20% of Arab children in the Negev do not have any framework. Some only attend an educational framework for the first time at the age of 6. This weakens their starting point. Young people should be given an opportunity even if they do not have excellent Hebrew or a high level of self-confidence. Jewish society is also under an obligation to help them to integrate".