‘Might be time’ to review school rules on keffiyehs, Gaza war discourse, admits Education boss

The Education Minister is set to review advice for teachers about discussing the Israel-Hamas war in the classroom, after the Greens claimed a “directive” has discriminated against Palestinian students and teachers.

Claims an Education Department “directive” is discriminating against Palestinian students by effectively banning them from wearing keffiyehs and flags have seen officials agree to review advice for teachers around handling the Israel-Hamas war in the classroom.

On Tuesday, Greens MLC and chair of the parliamentary education committee Abigail Boyd grilled Education Minister Prue Car and her departmental Secretary Murat Dizdar over their advice to teachers on the Middle East conflict, describing Mr Dizdar’s Gaza communique as “hasty”.

Advice on “Supporting the school community during the current conflict in the Middle East” was issued in early December 2023, and directed school leaders to “ensure that all school communications and actions reflect a neutral position in relation to the conflict”, and “remind staff of their obligation to demonstrate neutrality”.

Ms Boyd said the policy had been put into practice “in a discriminatory way” in “some” schools.

“I have heard from many students who have told me that the result of this has been, for example, that Palestinian students have not been allowed to wear their keffiyeh at school (and) they haven’t been able to have a Palestinian flag on their bags,” she said.

Greens MLC and education committee chair Abigail Boyd described the directive as having been applied in a “discriminatory” way to some Palestinian students.

“When they have sat up all night watching the conflict and grieving for family and friends … when they go to school, they’re not allowed to talk about the fact that they’re Palestinian.

“Do you think in hindsight … this directive of having to treat something as being neutral when it is clearly anything but, is upsetting for students and teachers? In hindsight, do you think it was a mistake?”

Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar appears at Budget estimates. Picture: Parliament of NSW

Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar did not agree with Ms Boyd that it was a “mistake”, but described the line of questioning as “fair” and admitted it “might be time” to review the directive, which Deputy Premier Prue Car then reinforced.

“Since 1848, the might of public education has been that we do have to be neutral … we do have to be balanced,” Mr Dizdar said.

Ms Boyd fired back that the public education is “not neutral on murder”, and questioned why the department “would be neutral on war”.

NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car fronts Budget estimates. Picture: Parliament of NSW

“We’re not doing anything other than just trying to protect the wellbeing of our staff and students,” Ms Car said.

In late November 2023 the Deputy Premier hit back at the NSW Teachers Federation after it voted to “assert” its members’ right to wear the Palestinian scarf at work, and the Teachers and School Staff for Palestine activist group urged supporters to show up at their schools with keffiyehs and flags.

In June the activist teachers rallied outside the Department’s head office in Parramatta to call for an “apology” to students and staff who have been asked to remove the scarf, and to “stop silencing Palestine”.
Education Minister Prue Car said “teachers are expected to be politically neutral during class, on school grounds or anytime they identify themselves as a NSW public school teacher”.

“The Department provides guidance on this in its Code of Conduct,” she said.
“I have asked the Secretary to review any directives to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities.”

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Originally published as ‘Might be time’ to review school rules on keffiyehs, Gaza war discourse, admits Education boss