The students' parents are furious: "Where did the budget intended for school renovation go?"

(haipo) – Parents of the Al-Khiwar School are waging a struggle against the Haifa Municipality, claiming that a budget promised for the renovation of the school building is not actually fulfilling its purpose, but was transferred to other purposes. Many parents are expressing frustration at the delays in the long-awaited renovation and claim that the conditions at the educational institution are inadequate.

Al-Khiwar School is a municipal elementary school (grades 200-XNUMX), located on Hatzayon Street in the lower city. The school has over XNUMX students. In recent years, parents have been waging a long struggle to have the school building extensively renovated, which, they claim, is far from being suitable for the students.

"Our budget is gone"

The chairman of the school's parents' committee, Richard Kram, is outraged that the budget intended for the school's renovation was not used properly, he said. "The school received 7 million shekels in the 2023 budget, but in reality nothing happened. We were promised that the money would be used to renovate the building next to the school, but instead, we were told that the funds were directed to other purposes in Arab neighborhoods. We are not willing to accept that."

Karam adds that the parents are not willing to remain silent about this: "We had a meeting at the Ministry of Education in Jerusalem about two years ago, with the participation of officials from the Haifa Municipality. At the meeting, it was agreed that an engineer would be sent to examine the possibility of building an addition to the existing building or renovating the adjacent building. To this day, we have not received any answers. The building is intended for preservation, and this is where the problem begins - the Haifa Municipality claims that the Ministry of Education is not willing to budget for buildings for preservation."

Partial renovation only

According to Karam, the parents feel they are in a continuous struggle without a real solution: "This is a building adjacent to the school, which was supposed to undergo renovation. The municipality only carried out a partial renovation - only two rooms were renovated, while the building contains at least four more. Why not continue the renovation? If the school has another 7 million NIS at its disposal, they could be used to turn additional rooms into classrooms. There is an attempt here to pull us by the nose and postpone the problem again and again."

"The school is in a very difficult situation."

Karam details the severe physical problems in the school building: "Today, the rain enters the annex rooms and there are leaks in the shelter as well. Our yard is in poor condition – it was supposed to be leveled, but it wasn't done. We ask that the students receive basic conditions – a roof for the yard, so that they can go out there even in winter. Right now, when it rains, all the students are squeezed into the school's narrow hallways."

"If the budget doesn't come back, we will shut down schools"

The chairman of the parents' committee threatens that if the municipality does not intervene and return the promised funds, the parents will intensify their measures: "I am still considering shutting down the school if the funds promised to us are not returned. We want answers - where did our money go? And why is it not being used for the promised renovation?"

"We will not give up until the budget is returned"

Haifa City Council member from the Balad party, Charbel Daquar, promises to work to restore the budget: "We do not intend to give up. We will continue to fight and do everything necessary so that the school gets what it deserves. The Haivar school has been waiting for renovations for two years. Instead of implementing the promises, the municipality is stalling and transferring the budget to other places," says Daquar.

"It's time for the municipality to treat Arab schools equally, and not take budgets from them, but add to them. We intend to meet with the municipality's administration to resolve the issue. Education should be top priority, and I will do everything to improve the situation of schools in the Arab sector."

"The renovation is being carried out in accordance with regulations"

On the other hand, the Haifa Municipality explains that the work is indeed progressing: "This is a building for preservation that is not recognized as an educational institution by the Ministry of Education. Under these circumstances, the municipality carried out a comprehensive renovation of the school's current building, at a cost of approximately 2.5 million shekels, and the work is in the final stages of completion."

Deputy Mayor Sophie Nakash also responds to the claims: "2.5 million shekels were earmarked for renovations, which were actually carried out. Regarding the 7 million shekels, nothing was promised. Parents are invited to contact the Ministry of Education and request recognition of the need."

The struggle continues in the meantime, as parents of students at the Khivar school continue to exert public pressure on the municipality, aiming to get clear answers about the future of the renovation. According to Karam, every option is on the table: "We are not going to give up - our children have the right to study in proper conditions, and we will not rest until that happens."