Minister of Education Naftali Bennet is currently weighing three proposals, all with the common denominator of cutting vacation days and adding seven school days.
Interestingly, Israel has more school days than most OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) nations, 220 as opposed to 180, yet the scores on scholastic achievement exams in recent years show bleak results in math, English and other core subjects.
According to a Yediot Achronot report, Bennet has decided to curtail the number of vacation days, and there will be 227 days of school. Bennett announced he will be cutting vacation from Isru Chag Pesach and Chanukah vacation for first through third graders. Preschool and older children are likely to be included too. Bennet indicated the new schedule will apply to the coming school year.
Bennet is in contact with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon as the new arrangement will cost millions. One possibility for compensating teachers will earn seven personal days to be used during the school year to compensate them. Bennet is also weighing other options.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
If Israel has less vacation and are doing worse obviously the problem is not too much vacation! If anything the problem may be not enough vacation. The real problem is not enough competition between public schools and not enough freedom given to schools to decide their own course of study and allowing each school to compete and find their own way how to best educate our children. They find any excuse to close private schools.
They claim it is not fair to have a school that not everyone can afford to go to. That idea is too ridiculous and essentially evil to require a response.