Prof. Menachem Magidor, who heads the nation’s body representing universities, told Channel 10 TV News on Monday night that it appears the scholastic year will not open on schedule due to the inability of universities to continue operating under the fiscal crunch.
 
“We are no longer capable of operating with current realities. We have no other alternative,” state Magidor, who lamented the current state of the nation’s higher institutions of learning, explaining the level of research in unacceptably low, and the academic level has fallen too.
 
Letters announcing the likelihood of a strike were sent out to students, who last year found themselves in a similar situation, the result of a strike by university lecturers.
 
Magidor explained that at present, there is a NIS 200 million difference between the budget universities require and what the Finance Ministry is offering. While the difference is NIS 100 million, the unacceptably low tuition is impacting universities too, explaining they are unable to continue operating. The inadequate tuition he explains adds the other NIS 100 million that divides the schools and the treasury.
 
He explained it is unrealistic to expect the universities to continue operating without funding, pointing out that today, the budget for the nation’s universities is NIS 1.5 billion less than in 2000, and he and his colleagues cannot permit the government to destroy the nation’s future by casting higher education to the side.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)