Two days after the tragic flash flood in southern Israel, which claimed the lives of ten students, the Education Ministry together with the Defense Ministry, has established a committee to set new guidelines for school outings. Being that the educational institution involved in this case was a mechina army prepatory school, it was not bound by regulations of the Education Ministry, not requiring clearance for the outing.

However, due to the magnitude of the tragedy, this is about to change, and new regulations are being formulated, which will certainly encompass the mechina programs nationwide. Since the mechina programs receive funding from the Education Ministry and Defense Ministry, it seems these institutions fell between the cracks regarding outings and accountability to a government agency.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)