School’s out for summer: 1.5 million elementary, pre-school kids start vacation
Education Minister Naftali Bennett wishes students a break ‘with meaningful experiences,’ laments the ‘last quiet Friday of the school year’
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Friday marks the last day of school for some 1.5 million Israeli elementary and pre-elementary schoolchildren, as well as for the country’s 90,000 teachers and education workers.
Special education programs will continue to operate for at least another month, until July 30.
In a joking aside, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, a father of four, posted a picture on Twitter of his morning coffee with a bowl of watermelon under the comment, “The last quiet Friday of the school year. Education minister, SHORTEN THE VACATIONS!”
The post refers to the complaint from countless Israeli parents over the years that school breaks are too long, making life difficult for working parents.
שישי בוקר שקט אחרון לשנה״ל זה.
שר החינוך, ת ק צ ר א ת ה ח ו פ ש ו ת! pic.twitter.com/6iDPxLsyz5— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) June 29, 2018
Over the past year, Bennett introduced a 400 million shekel ($109 million) initiative that added 11 school days to the school year for kindergarten through third grade. The extra days are in addition to the three-week “summer camp” program for grades 1 to 3 subsidized by the state.
In a more formal statement, Bennett said on Thursday, “I hope every student has wonderful experiences at the beach, in the pool, and hiking with their family — but not only.” Students should seek out “a break with meaningful experiences. And most important — take care of yourselves.”
Part of the funding for the new school days come from parents, with fees depending on average income in each municipality. Wealthier municipalities charge NIS 30 ($8.50) per child per day, or roughly NIS 330 total annually for each child, middle-earning municipalities charge NIS 20 per child per day, and poorer municipalities offer the extra days for free.
In school districts where schools offer private daycare during vacation days, the existing programs mostly continue as before, but with parents receiving the service for free, or for a dramatically reduced rate.
The Times of Israel Community.