- February 15, 2026
- 12:35 pm
- Israel
In the Knesset, an initiative is advancing that could significantly change the structure of higher education. The relevant committee is preparing for the second and third readings of a bill that allows the formal separation of students by gender in universities and colleges.
If the document receives final approval, a practice that previously existed as an exception may become part of the system.
How a temporary model becomes the norm
The author of the initiative is Limor Son Har-Melech from the Otzma Yehudit party. She claims that the step is aimed at expanding access to education and that it is a “path to equality.”
Meanwhile, discussions already include proposals not to limit to separate classrooms. In fact, the prospect of a broader infrastructure for separate education is being discussed.
For supporters, it is a tool for integrating the ultra-Orthodox sector.
For critics, it is the institutionalization of segregation.
What is happening in practice right now
According to data presented in the discussion, about three thousand Haredi students are studying in master’s and doctoral programs this academic year. Approximately half of them are in separate campuses.
A separate concern for opponents of the reform is that a significant portion of these students plan to work in the education system in the future.
These are people who will then come to schools, colleges, and training programs.
And the model in which they studied will inevitably become a reference point for them.
Where the legal boundary lies
An important background for the current debate is the decision of the Supreme Court of Israel in 2021. At that time, the court allowed separate formats for ultra-Orthodox students but set restrictions.
The permission concerned undergraduate studies and was accompanied by a requirement not to allow discrimination against lecturers.
Supporters of the current bill say that reality has changed and the system needs to be expanded.
Opponents respond: the exception is gradually becoming the rule.
Why the debate goes beyond academia
The discussion is not only about lecture schedules or seating arrangements in the auditorium.
They argue about the future labor market, the nature of public space, and what the public sector will be like in ten to fifteen years.
Such processes are regularly analyzed by economic and social commentators. In publications by NANews – News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, the topic is considered part of a broader transformation of relations between the state and religious communities.
The question is posed harshly: where is the limit of adaptation, after which the model of equality itself changes.
What’s next
The commission is finalizing the document for the final readings. After that, the decision will move to the plenary hall.
The confrontation promises to be noisy. Academic circles, human rights organizations, representatives of the ultra-Orthodox sector, and politicians are already forming arguments.
The outcome of the vote will show whether separate education remains a tool for targeted integration or becomes the new norm of Israeli higher education.
The answer to this question is important far beyond the walls of universities.
