Around 250,000 Arab Bedouins live in Negev in towns recognized by Israel and others that are not. Towns recognized by Israel include the city of Rahat, 6 local councils and two regional councils. These towns are among the most vulnerable in the country - socially and economically, and they are all located in the lower cluster that needs most support. The State Comptroller’s Report for 2015 admitted the importance of formal education in “creating cultural infrastructure and producing and forming common and equal values to all citizens of the State”, which is an
important tool to push students from the most socially and economically vulnerable groups forward. This task; the provision of equal education opportunities to all students from all “circles” is one of the duties the State shoulders.
The Ministry of Education, itself, often reiterated in its reports and statements that one of its central goals is to minimize social and economic gaps between students. A study undertaken by the Knesset Research Center, upon the request of Knesset Member Taleb Abu Arrar, introduced important inputs about Arab children in Negev and the education system there. The needs there include building classrooms, providing transportation for students, improving educational rates and outcomes, and finally taking governmental decisions regarding education in this area and enforcing them.
