Talmud Torah Tashbar, an unlicensed haredi school in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of London, operated illegally for 40 years. But now it has been ordered by the British government to close its doors by February 12.
Illegal British Haredi School Ordered To Close For Failure To Teach Secular Subjects
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Talmud Torah Tashbar, an unlicensed haredi school in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of London, operated illegally for 40 years. But now it has been ordered by the British government to close its doors by February 12, the Independent reported tonight.
The school does not teach any secular subjects – even English – and failed to meet the “minimum” standards required by the government.
It is illegal in Britain to operate an unlicensed school.
The school, which has 200 students, was found to “severely restrict the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils” in ways that prevent them from “developing a wider, deeper understanding of different faiths, communities, cultures and lifestyles, including those of England.”
Ofsted, the British government schools inspection monitor, repeatedly inspected Talmud Torah Tashbar after it applied to be an officially recognized private school. Those Ofsted reports found that “as a matter of religious principle” Talmud Torah Tashbar does not allow students to learn English, and fails to provide students with any secular education.
Talmud Torah Tashbar failed three yearly inspections from 2012 onward, but no action against it was taken by the government – until now.
On December 30, Ofsted told the school it’s application to be an officially recognized and licensed private school had been rejected. The order to close quickly followed.
The British Humanist Association welcomed the government’s decision to close Talmud Torah Tashbar and called on the Education Secretary to do the same with dozens of other schools, including some Islamic schools, with similar failings.
“We’re glad that the Government has now moved to shut this particular school down…However, there are clearly many more out there just like it. The situation revealed by these reports is simply outrageous and those in government who have failed to act in the past ought to be ashamed of themselves for standing idly by while thousands of children have their childhoods stolen. Every year, every month, every week that these places are allowed to stay open, a huge number of children remain isolated, indoctrinated, and very likely abused, so we will certainly be writing to the Government to ask that action is taken far more swiftly in the case of other schools than it has been here,” a Humanist Association spokesperson said.
[Hat Tip: D.O.]