Following the Ministry of Health's emerging plan for a partial return of the education system, parents attacked the outline • National parent leadership: "Education is not a child's play"
Against the background of the entry into force of the relief in the third closure and following the Ministry of Health's apparent outline for return to school, parents from around the country and the national parent leadership today (Sunday) attacked the program, according to which classes will open partially the next day.
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According to the outline, the kindergartens, first-fourth grades and 11th-12th grades will open in green and yellow cities starting Tuesday.
Studies in the red and orange cities will open in smaller capsules of half-classes in the open air, in a yes-no-day format.
Classroom classes will not be resumed at this time, and last night the government approved in a telephone poll the continued suspension of non-online classes in the education system until at least Tuesday morning.
The decision is intended to allow ministers to convene for a renewed and extensive discussion of the issue, which will take place today or tomorrow.
"The government's decision, which points to an outline for returning to school, is a retransmission of previous bad decisions, in the illusory hope that this time something may change," the national parents' leadership said.
"In a film in which our children have been living for a year, there is no room for experimentation and no room for unnecessary reruns. The Israeli government has been abandoning children in grades 5-10 for a whole year and inventing illusory and irrelevant solutions, such as the new invention called Eleven-twelfth will teach a day yes, a day no and a day why not.
"It would be better for the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the cabinet members to seriously consider the in-depth and serious outline that we have prepared back to school and finally internalize that education is not a child's play," they added.
"The frivolity with which fifth- to tenth-grade children are given up is a scandal and a national omission that will be remembered for generations. It is the duty of the government to do everything to bring all Israeli students back into the education system safely and responsibly. Promoting a solution. "
The Ministry of Health agrees to open early childhood education in grades 1-4, starting this Tuesday, only in the green and yellow localities, according to the rules of social distance that were customary throughout the Corona crisis.
In addition, the ministry agrees to open the 11th and 12th grades, which are being examined in this year's matriculation elections, to return to the schools in the green and yellow localities.
The health system is willing to consider returning to studies at a young age in the orange and red localities as well, but only under even stricter restrictions.
Last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu convened a preliminary discussion on the issue, with the participation of the ministers of health, education and finance, with the aim of raising an agreed resolution in the government.
Among the parents' representatives, there is much criticism of the government's decision to allow some of the activities, but not the studies.
"The government is once again playing with the education and future of our children," says Arik Kaplan, chairman of the Parents' Leadership in Jerusalem, a city with more than 200,000 students. Nature, going to a B&B and of course staying with friends from class, kindergarten and even the teacher at home - but we can not take them to the most natural place they should be, which is kindergarten and school.
An entire generation is being lost. "
Disappointed and confused at their home in Petah Tikva, 7-year-old Amit, a second-grade student, and 8-year-old Guy, a third-grade student, are still waiting to return to the classrooms.
Their older brother Liam, 13, a sixth-grader, also expects to return, but knows he will have to stay home at least first.
"I really miss school, friends and breaks," a colleague shared with Israel Today, "This is a very difficult time and I believe that together we will win the corona."
Liam misses meeting friends and admits: "Studying at Zoom is difficult because I can't always concentrate."
Adi Hashmonai, Gadi Golan, Yuri Yalon and Noam (Devol) Dvir participated in the preparation of the article.