With the opening of the state public school system for the 5774 school year on Sunday, 19 Elul 5773, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released the following statement to the media. He made the statement in the presence of the press at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Today’s Cabinet meeting is ahead of the opening of the school year in another two days. I congratulate the Education Minister and the people at his ministry, as well as the principals, teachers and pupils on the start of the new school year.

“We are trying to instill in our children two things – values and excellence. Values are the Tanach, history, literature and the history and values of our people. This is one layer and the second thing is excellence, the ability to compete in the new world, in mathematics, the sciences, English and computers. These are the basic tools that we want to instill in them.

“I must say that very important work has been done in this field. The previous government saw an increase in the achievements on the international exams, and of course the success at the science Olympiads. I attribute very great importance to this. We are a people of achievements and we will garner achievements. This is the basis of excellence in everything I know – in the elite units of the IDF, in high-tech, in creative endeavors, in literature and in the arts. These things, the combination of values and achievements, this is what will make Israeli children succeed and this is what will ensure our future.

“But there is something else that will ensure our future and it is the simple ability to learn. The previous government gave 300,000 children free education from age three. They are enjoying this today, almost 300,000. This is a savings per family, for each child, of between 8,000-10,000 NIS and more per annum. This is new, this is heart-warming.

“One must go to these new classrooms, and I intend to do so on Tuesday, to see the joy, first of all of the parents, the children and the teachers. There is a very serious change here. Everything is in order to provide a values- and achievement- driven education to Israeli children from their toddler years.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)