From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
University studies pushed back until after reserve call-up ends
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleGavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
Israel’s universities will delay the start of the academic year until after the massive call-up of reserve soldiers ends, but not before December 3, the Committee of University Presidents announces.
The fall semester, which was to have started October 15, had previously been delayed to November 5.
The call up of some 360,000 IDF reservists, one of the largest in Israeli history, includes thousands of staff and students, the committee says. About 30% of all university students are among those now serving.
“The winter semester will begin in all research universities when those called up for reserve duty begin to be released, but not before December 3, 2023. Before the start of the semester, a two-week advance notice will be given, to prepare for a return to a routine and academic track, and after this studies will commence,” the committee says in a statement.
The university system will still aim for a full academic year of two semesters, and the university presidents anticipate that the second semester will therefore continue into the summer, but exactly how to implement that will be left to the individual universities.
Universities with foreign student programs have the option of beginning earlier using distance learning, but that decision “is made individually for each institution, according to the situation,” the committee spokesperson says.
The Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has already begun its regular semester using distance learning, the Hebrew University confirms.
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