Far-Right Government Postpones Long School Day for Seventh Time

Complying with a request by the far-right government, the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee voted on Tuesday, December 6, to postpone the implementation of the long-school-day law by yet another two years until 2019 – the seventh time the move has been delayed. After a stormy debate, eight MKs voted in favor of the postponement and five against. The law was passed in 1997 and the explanation given for the latest delay is the estimated cost of its implementation, in excess of 2 billion shekels (525 million dollars).

The Harel School in Ashkelon

The Harel School in Ashkelon (Photo: Ministry of Education)

In the same session the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee also voted to reduce the number of weekly small group class hours in 1st and 2nd grade classes with over 34 children from five to two. For some 1st grade classes, only one hour of small group learning will be given per week.

“This government is shamelessly proposing that we delay full implementation of the long school day by three years,” Hadash MK Dov Khenin (Joint List) said during the debate. “This is the seventh time we are being told there is no room for a long school day.” It was MK Orly Levy, an independent (formerly Yisrael Beiteinu) parliamentarian who drew the link to the occupation, making reference to the planned relocation of the illegal outpost Amona in the West Bank. “When they think about Amona, they don’t think about saving money, but when it comes to a weak community, there’s no one to talk to,” she said. “The Education Ministry is controlled by politicians who don’t care about the general public.”