At a professional committee meeting at the Education Ministry, Minister Naftali Bennett decided to allow every pupil who wishes to be tested for matriculation (bagrut) on more subjects than the curriculum requires to be able to do so.
This decision annuls a previous directive of former Education Minister Rabbi Shai Piron who limited the number of matriculation points a student could attain. Piron's decision caused problems for students in ulpanas and yeshiva high schools, who are tested in Talmud (or a parallel halakhic field for girls) and Tanakh on the highest existing level, while many also do the highest levels in English and maths. They were left with limited possibilities for any subjects except those required in order to matriculate, such as civics.
The ministry explained that the basis for the decision was the wish to enable talented pupils and those who wish to attain proficiency in a number of disciplines and widen their educational horizons to realize their personal potential and to achieve better results.
The ministry stressed that the major pedagogical reforms instituted during Rabbi Piron's tenure would continue to function unchanged in the educational system, one of them being that no matriculation exams take place during 10th grade.
The decision to broaden the number of fields will be effective during the coming school year of 2017-18 and will apply to next year's 10th and 11th grades. "This decision will allow pupils to prepare the framework of their matriculation plans and study subjects in depth," said Education Ministry sources.