Everyone Loses in the Grand School Lottery

by Moshe Feiglin

This is a letter that appeared in my inbox this morning:

Shalom Moshe Feiglin,

Two years ago, I became aware of the voucher method in schools and immediately supported it. But I did not guess that after just a short time, the issue would become personal. I will be grateful for your assistance in publicizing the following situation.

Thank you,

A.T.

Attached to the email was a letter with the details of an unbelievable story. Thirteen scholastically gifted students live in the Shoham municipality. They were accepted to a special school for extremely bright students in Lod. But the Shoham municipality refused to allow the students to study in Lod, for fear of losing the money budgeted to Shoham for their schooling.

I will not tire you with the details of the convoluted bureaucracy that their parents had to negotiate. Instead, I will skip right to the bottom line. Note the solution decided upon by the Education Ministry:

A lottery will be held and eight of the thirteen students will win the authorization to study in the school that is appropriate for their talents in Lod. The rest of the students will not be allowed to study there.

Do you get it? Israel’s educational system has now joined the lottery method. If you thought that the only lotteries here were for new apartments for young couples – now you can win proper schooling only by lottery.

First, the State took away our lands and profiteered with its price – causing the housing prices to skyrocket. Then it was nice enough to raffle off apartments for us to buy. Then, the State took 3000 NIS per month in taxes for every Israeli student (100 billion shekels per year – more than the security budget!) and created a convoluted bureaucratic system under which the level of education in Israel is lower than in Turkey. But hey, if you win the lottery, you can get into a good school.

Next you will be able to enter a lottery for a good doctor in the hospital.

And for a good police officer in times of trouble.

Our children’s schooling is not a game of Powerball. It is too important to be left in the hands of the State.

Zehut’s Educational Voucher method is the solution.