Israeli Arab to head languages department

Dr. Hani Mousa is first Arab to hold position, has spent the past 14 years as the head of Hebrew education in Israel’s Arab school system.

By BEN HARTMAN
Elementary school 521 (photo credit: Sherihan Abdel-Rahman)
Elementary school 521
(photo credit: Sherihan Abdel-Rahman)
The Education Ministry on Thursday appointed an Israeli Arab to head the languages branch of the ministry’s pedagogic department, the first time someone from the Arab sector has held the position.
Dr. Hani Mousa, who is from the Arab village of Gedida outside of Acre, has worked for the ministry for 29 years and has spent the past 14 years as the head of Hebrew education in Israel’s Arab school system.
According to the ministry, Mousa “achieved great success in his role as the superintendent of Hebrew studies and developed expertise in the field among the Arab sector, increasing the percentage of Arab students finishing five units of study in the subject.” Mousa beat out four other candidates for the job and was the only one of the three to come from the Arab sector.
The ministry said Mousa has been highly successful at developing new teaching methods for the Hebrew language at Arab schools, including the building of a website to help Hebrew teachers in the Arab sector.
All of Mousa’s academic degrees and certifications are from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and they include a bachelor’s degree in literature and history, certificates for Hebrew and Hebrew literature education, and a doctorate in Jewish folklore.