U.S. : YESHIVA STUDENTS YEARNING

Four and half years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration received a complaint that thousands of children at Orthodox Jewish yeshivas across New York City were being denied a basic education, including instructions in reading and writing English.

Finally, two months ago, after years of delay, the city released the results of its drawn-out investigation :

Of 28 schools surveyed, just two met state education standards.

The central question then is why, instead of moving swiftly to investigate the allegations and protect these students, the de Blasio administration slow-walked the inquiry.

The report by the Department of Investigation and the special commissioner for investigation for the New York City School District offers one explanation.

The agencies asserted that administration officials in 2017 agreed to delay the release of an interim report on the largely Hasidic schools as part of campaign to secure political support for mayoral control of the city's schools.

The Department of Investigation, which looks into misconduct in city agencies, said it couldn't determine whether Mayor de Blasio had personally authorized the delay, and it did not allege that the mayor had violated the law.

While the mayor dithered, children/students suffered.

Years passed before the city school investigators saw the insides of the classrooms where former students, teachers and parents said children weren't learning basic skills.

Yeshiva officials were treated with kid gloves, allowed to put off visits by investigators even as some former students said they graduated unable to write their names.

Politics ahead of Yeshiva students?

The World Students Society thanks the authors, the editorial staff at NYTimes.