Education Minister Gideon Saar is working to eliminate the need for parents and students to purchase text books annually. The minister wishes to adopt the system in which students simply sign out books for the year and return them upon completion of the school year. He feels this would be a most welcome reality, sparing parents the need to run around looking for books ahead of a new school year. He hopes the new plan will be implemented in the nation’s public school this coming year.

In line with the law, each school district will have to vote ahead of the 2012-2013 school year and if there is a 60% majority favoring the new system parents will no longer be compelled to purchase books. In the past, a 90% majority was required to compel the school to acquire the books for the students.

The parents will be required to make a onetime annual payment to the school, the sum of 280 NIS (elementary school) – 380 NIS (junior high and high school). This amount has already been approved by Knesset. It is estimated that despite the one-time payment, parents will save hundreds of NIS per child annually.

The ministry is allocating 100 million NIS to assist schools in purchasing text books in addition to 20 million NIS annually to oversee and run the program.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)