2.2 million Israeli students head to class as school year begins
Summer vacation comes to a close nationwide; academic year kicks off without ‘drama,’ usual protests by parents, teacher associations
Over 2.2 million Israeli children and teenagers and 180,000 teaching staff headed back to school on Friday, as the 2017-2018 academic year began nationwide.
Some 163,000 children were begining first grade, while 123,000 entered their final year of high school, according to Education Ministry figures.
The national theme introduced by the Education Ministry for the new school year was the 70-year anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially opened the year in a school in the northern town of Harish.
“This is our country, our state, our home — always remember that,” Netanyahu told the students during his visit.
At a school in the West Bank city of Ma’ale Adumim, President Reuven Rivlin urged the schoolchildren to respect one another.
“Even when we don’t love each other that much, we understand that we need to respect one another, that we need to understand the other side with whom we disagree,” said the president.
The academic year, usually marred by at least a few strikes and protests, appeared to get off to a smooth start with no major disruptions planned by parents or teacher associations.
In Tel Aviv, however, dozens of parents protested outside a school after a teacher was accused of pedophilia. They were calling on the principal to resign for hiring the teacher suspected of sex crimes.
“There is no drama,” tweeted Education Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday night. “There are no strikes, it’s calm. There is good dialogue with everyone.”
On Wednesday, Bennett announced a new NIS 70 million ($20 million) program to improve English skills among Israeli schoolchildren with a focus on spoken language. The plan, titled “Give me five” in a reference to the highest level of English studies available to high-schoolers, will see some 1,000 extra teachers hired and additional English tuition hours offered.
