A New Education Law

The House of Representatives is currently discussing the new education bill, amid anticipation from millions of families and teachers who see the law as a final opportunity to reform a system from which we have suffered greatly. It concerns the future of more than 25 million male and female students, studying in more than 60,000 schools, and a quarter of a million teachers who suffer from work pressure and limited resources, and most of them resort to private lessons as an alternative to an unbearable situation.

The new draft law proposes provisions that have real reform, most notably a review of curricula to be based on understanding and skills, rather than memorization and indoctrination. It also improves the position of teachers by increasing salaries and ensuring ongoing training. The draft law also proposes supporting technical education and linking it to the labor market, recognizing the role of the family as an effective partner in the educational process, and attempting to limit private tutoring by developing schools and teaching methods.

One of the most prominent aspects of the draft law is the idea of multiple educational paths after preparatory stage, which provides students with diverse opportunities, whether in general, technical, or applied education, in addition to introducing a system similar to the “baccalaureate” as a unified path that guarantees fairness and flexibility, and breaks the idea of “early sorting,” which has long been unfair to prominent students. However, this step requires complete readiness in educational guidance, a strong infrastructure, and a change in society's view of technical education in particular. This cannot be achieved by force of law, but rather by policies and practical implementation on the ground.

On the other hand, there are still provisions that need clarification, raising concerns about burdening teachers with new responsibilities without real tools. More importantly, how will funding be provided, as schools need basic infrastructure before any digital transformation. There is ambiguity in the mechanisms for evaluating students and teachers, which may open the door to individual discretion and unfair decisions. This can lead to exploitation by some weak-willed teachers, and the results are more harmful than private lessons themselves, which drain family income and represent an economic burden that families have suffered from for decades.

The disparity between public and private education has not been radically addressed by law, despite its serious implications on the principle of equal opportunity. Furthermore, linking education to technology seems far from reality in areas that still suffer from power outages or lack access to the internet, or when it does, it is slow or weak.

The law has many of the positives we need, but its success depends on implementation. We want a law that students feel valued in the classroom, protects teachers in their schools, and eases the burden on families.