Services Restored to the High School in Wadi al-Na'am
- ACRI
- May 24
- 2 min read
Wadi al-Na’am is the largest unrecognized village in the Negev, home to approximately 10,000 residents. The village has a single high school attended by 400 students and operated by Sakhnin College and the Neve Midbar Regional Council. At the end of April 2026, the Neve Midbar Regional Council stopped providing the school with basic maintenance services, including sewage pumping, diesel supply for generators, garbage collection, routine maintenance, and more, claiming that it was not being reimbursed for these expenses. As a result, conditions at the school deteriorated: overflowing and foul-smelling sewage, garbage accumulation, power outages, and a shortage of diesel fuel for the generator. No one could learn under these conditions.
On May 14, 2026, ACRI appealed to the Ministry of Education, the Neve Midbar Regional Council, and Sakhnin College, demanding that they act to restore maintenance services for the school. In the appeal, Attorney Elza Bugnet addressed the violation of the rights of the students to receive an education, as well as the longstanding discrimination against students from unrecognized villages.
This is not the first time that Bedouin children in the Negev, especially those living in unrecognized villages, have paid the price for budget disputes between the council, the Ministry of Education, and other bodies, and have been forced to study in neglected educational institutions that fail to meet even the most basic sanitary, hygiene, and safety standards. Responsibility for the condition of the school rests first and foremost with the Ministry of Education, and it must find an appropriate solution without delay.
Several days after ACRI's appeal, parents of students at the school informed us that Sakhnin College had addressed the maintenance problems and that the school had resumed functioning.
ACRI's appeal, May 14, 2026 (Heb)
