A new bill seeks to grant two academic credits to students who serve a minimum of ten days of reserve duty a year.

The bill, proposed by MK (Kulanu) Meirav Ben-Ari and promoted by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, was drafted following a report by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu, which revealed that the majority of institutions for higher learning opt not to provide students serving in active reserve duty with academic credits, despite being permitted to do so by law.

The report discovered that according to the Council for Higher Education, an institution that awards credits to social activity is permitted to do the same for reserve duty, but only 16 out of the 63 institutions for higher learning in Israel have opted to do so.

The bill will be brought to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday, and is expected to gain the approval of the ministers.

“This is a great day for the spearhead of Israeli society: reservists,” said Im Tirtzu Chairman Matan Peleg. This bill is a necessary recognition of the hardships and sacrifices made by IDF reservists in order to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Peleg added: “We are very pleased that Im Tirtzu’s initiatives and values are being promoted into legislation.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)