Education Ministry says 80% of state schools open

The Education Ministry says that 80 percent of elementary schools in the state-run (mamlachti) system have opened this morning.

Students in first through third grades were given a “festive welcome” while following Health Ministry regulations obligating various social distancing and hygiene stipulations, the Education Ministry says in a statement.

“The ministry is continuing to monitor what is happening on the ground,” the statement adds.

The numbers do not include schools in the Arab community, which has announced that it will not reopen schools this week at all.

Elementary schools were given the green light Friday to bring back students in first through third grades, but despite the go-ahead, numerous cities and local authorities said they would delay a return to classrooms amid growing dissatisfaction over the government’s handling of the matter, with unclear rules in place and unanswered questions about technical aspects of the school openings.