Table showing Zionist/Jewish Education And Cultural Activities in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 670. Chapter XVI: Social Services : Section 3

CHAPTER XVI.

Section 3.

JEWISH EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES.

(a) The educational organisation of the Va'ad Leumi.

98. The Hebrew Public Educational System, formerly controlled by the Jewish Agency, was devolved on the Va'ad Leumi in October, 1932. Its administration is regulated in theory by the Education Code originally laid down by the Va'ad Leumi in 1933 and revised in 1940. A brief summary of the Code, together with comments on its actual working during the last three years, is given below.

99. Trends. The Code begins with recognition of three

Trends :- "General", "Mizrahi" and "Labour", as entitled to equal privileges.

The "Mizrahi" schools are those schools attached to the Mizrahi party, and lay stress on religious instruction and observance. The "Labour" schools are the schools of the Labour party, and lay stress on manual instruction, especially agriculture. The "General" schools are not definitely attached to any political party; religious and manual instruction is included in their syllabus, but is not emphasized to the same extent as in the Mizrahi and Labour trends respectively.

The distribution of pupils among the three Trends in July, 1944, is shown in the following table

No. of Percentage
pupils ---
General schools 39,G73 54%
Mizrahi schools 16,731 23%
Labour schools lG,729 23%
----- ---
Total 73,133 100%
----- The Code aims at giving each Trend the maximum internal autonomy consistant with centralized control.

100. The Va'ad Leumi. The Vaad Leumi, as the Proprietor of the schools, is, subject to general control by Government the final arbiter on all questions of principle, such as:-

(a) ratification of the Education Code or amendments thereof; (b) ratification of the salary scales and of the annual budget; (c) relations with Government and with the Jewish Agency; (d) appointment of its Director of Education, of the Executive

Education Committee, of the Vaad Hahinnukh (Educational Council), etc.

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