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Photo: Courtesy of Haredi College Jerusalem

Haredi students to join digital revolution

Ultra-Orthodox schools to incorporate digital teaching methods to traditional religious teaching; new initiative includes external, content changes to program in accordance with haredi way of life

Dozens of haredi schools will be introduced this year to the digital revolution that has taken over the education system in Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.

 

Both the Ma'ayan HaChinuch HaTorani and the Shuvo education networks which operate some 200 haredi schools in Israel, have agreed to take part in an initial project which will incorporate digital teaching methods to the traditional religious teaching.

 

The two networks agreed to take part in the project after the Education Ministry accepted their request to modify the program, in order to avoid offending the ultra-Orthodox public.

 

Through the new program, haredi students will learn on computers and receive information through mobile computing devices such as tablets, which have been considered to be an "abomination" for the religious community up until now.

 

However, before haredi students begin to learn the secrets of digital technology, several teams appointed by the haredi schools, will go over the material and adapt it to the haredi way of life.

 

Within the computerized program, animated characters that are dressed immodestly will be replaced or removed. In addition, several of the animated characters will be dressed in accordance with the haredi dress code, which includes adding a yarmulke to the male characters and a dress to the female ones.

 

However, most changes made to the educational program were not external but mostly had to do with content. One of the first subjects to be removed from the digital program was evolution studies. The haredi educational system is mostly concerned with content related to the desecration of the Sabbath and marital relations.

 

The haredi schools have also insisted on blocking certain websites that contain offensive content.

 

Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that this is yet another step in the government's efforts to better equip the haredi community with the necessary tools needed to integrate in society.

 

 

 

 

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.30.12, 14:47
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