Israel‘s universities protested planned budget cuts on Tuesday with a strike by students and faculty. The universities highlighted a list of possible results of a likely budget cut and used the two-hour duration of the strike to explain the dangers and problems of the looming situation to students, professors and other staff.

A student’s demonstration against planned budget cuts (Photo: National Union of Israeli Students)

On Monday, the National Union of Israeli Students called for the new government to continue investing in higher education as the outgoing Knesset had, and prevent the possibility of any cutbacks. Tuesday marked a record number of institutions joining forces to protest. As vigils and information sessions took place on campuses, classes were suspended for two hours. Participating institutions included Tel Aviv University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, the University of Haifa, and Shenkar College, as well as Sapir College, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and other public institutions.

In addition to charging students more money for their studies, budget cuts would force the universities to turn down more job applicants than before, inevitably hurting the quality of teaching at the various institutions, the TAU student body said. In effect, it explained to the thousands of students gathered during the strike, “we’d be paying more for less.”

A video titled “Education = Growth” underscoring higher education’s contribution to Israel’s economy and society was uploaded to YouTube by the National Student Union. It detailed the problems facing the country’s higher education system, including overcrowding and funding shortfalls as the system has been expanded.

Hebrew University‘s student body leader Yael Sinai said the struggle was just beginning. “We hope with all our hearts that we can bring good news,” she told her peers. If not, she continued, “we’ll take responsibility for our future and head to the streets.”

In response to the nationwide movement, the Knesset Finance Committee met Tuesday morning, and under a proposal made by MK Dov Khenin (Hadash), unanimously opposed the cutbacks. The committee, which included MKs from all parties, discussed the importance of continuing to implement the multi-year plan to promote higher education, on which the Treasury recently agreed.