The Establishment of Arab Schools in Beer Hadaj.

A petition was filed in 7/00 with ACRI on behalf of the Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages (RCUV), parents’ committees, and residents of the unrecognized villages against the Minister of Education (MOE) and the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council demanding that schools be built for Arab Bedouin children, citizens of Israel. At the time of the filing of the petition, there were no Arab schools in the area and children living in the unrecognized villages had to travel for long distances (32-40 km) to reach their schools, resulting in low registration and attendance rates (e.g., 34% of children between the ages of 3-18 in Beer Hadaj did not attend school). As a result of the filing of the petition, the respondents’ agreed to open an elementary school in Beer Hadaj and a kindergarten and first grade school in the Har HaNegev area. After numerous delays, MOE completed the schools in 2/02. In 9/02, in response to motions filed by the petitioners, respondents informed the Court that outstanding water supply and permit issues had been resolved to the satisfaction of the community. Petitioners agreed and withdrew the petition. About 600 Arab Bedouin children living in the unrecognized villages have begun to benefit from these new schools.

(H.C. 5221/00, Dahlala Abu Ghardud, et. al. v. Ramat HaNegev Regional Council, et. al., petition withdrawn)