Local authorities, parents threaten school strike

Israeli classroom
Israeli classroom

The strike would protest planned education cuts despite Israel's already overcrowded classrooms.

Less than one month until Israel's new school year begins on September 1 and the country's local authorities and teachers unions are threatening a strike, if no solution is found to the overcrowding in classrooms. A joint statement said, "The State of Israel has not found one shekel to deal with the overcrowding and yet still wants to carry out to deep cuts, which would be the death blow to education in Israel."

At a press conference called this morning at the Local Authorities Center, together with dozens of heads of local councils and parents organizations, they presented their demands and stressed, "Every Israeli has to know what the State is giving him."

The local authorities and parents are demanding three main things: NIS 600 million be allocated to alleviating the overcrowding in classrooms; to create a budget basket that will clearly define what every Israeli student is getting; and preventing the budget cut planned by the Ministry of Finance.

Local authority heads said, "Such a cut would compel us to reduce further the number of classes, add students to existing classes, and close down classes due to political whims."

The Finance Ministry said yesterday that the cuts would differentiate between disadvantaged local authorities, which would receive more money, and strong local authorities, which would receive less money.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 3, 2015

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015

Israeli classroom
Israeli classroom
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