New school year to open with focus on heritage and culture

On Thursday, 1,922,000 students and 142,000 teachers will begin the new school year in 12,880 educational institutions, including kindergartens. The number of students has increased by 2 percent since last year. In the south, some 300,000 children will start the school year under the shadow of terrorist rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Many educational institutions have not been fortified against rocket attacks, and several local and regional councils are considering not opening schools on Thursday, municipal officials told Israel Radio on Wednesday.

Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Education Ministry Director-General Dr. Shimon Shoshani visited the Israel Hayom office on Tuesday, and responded to questions posed to them by surfers via Israel Hayom's Facebook page. The officials addressed, among other issues, bringing the education system up to par with 21st-century standards and the training of 1,000 new teachers on the ever-expanding topic of Israeli heritage and culture. Sa'ar also reiterated his desire to shorten the summer vacation period.

One of the first questions posed to the minister was about the "Courage to Change" ("Oz Letmura" in Hebrew) reforms initiated by the Secondary School Teachers Association, and signed by the government in May 2011. The reforms agreed upon included an increase in teachers' salaries and a reduction in the amount of students per class. Sa'ar denied that teachers were forced to sign the agreement. "As far as I know, there is no truth to that allegation," Sa'ar said.

"We are currently surveying junior high school educators, and schools in which 75 percent of the educators want to join the 'Courage to Change' program, will be allowed to do so this year. By 2016, all governmental educational institutions will take part in the reforms," Sa'ar explained. "This year, the education system will undergo three reforms that will significantly contribute to the quality of instruction in Israel. My aim is to make teaching an attractive and highly valued profession in Israel. We have already noted in the past two years a significant increase in candidates for the profession. If this rate is maintained, both the education system and Israel itself will be changed dramatically."

According to Sa'ar, "The subjects of mathematics and literature are important. Mathematics gives one the ability to think logically, while literature broadens the scope of our general knowledge. In my opinion, the subject of Jewish Oral Law ['Toshba' in Hebrew] is also important, and should be among the Jewish books we keep on our shelves."

Making good on its promise to strengthen children's ties to Zionism, the government decided that students in the 5th grade will be taught classes in Israel's heritage and culture, which has now been designated as a mandatory subject. "The purpose of this initiative is to give children a basic knowledge of Judaism and Zionism," Sa'ar said. "Starting with this year, grades five through eight will receive two hours instruction per week in this topic."

Studies of Israel's heritage and culture are to include state symbols such as Jerusalem, presidents and prime ministers, the connection between the Israeli people and the land according to our sages of blessed memory ("Chazal" in Hebrew), getting familiar with the different ethnic backgrounds of the Jewish people, traditions, commandments, and more.

Teachers are also expected to convey to their students the meaning of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. Students will discuss the importance of Jerusalem in the context of Jewish awareness throughout the generations, and the way it is expressed in our culture and art. In addition, the discussions will include the events and processes that led up to the announcement of Jerusalem as our capital.

Politics will also not be neglected in the classroom. Classes in Israel's heritage and culture will cover current events relating to Jerusalem, and the meanings of our national flag and anthem, allowing students to convey their personal takes on what those symbols mean to them.

"The subject of Israel's heritage will have to be expanded. To do so, we will train 1,000 new teachers to specialize in that specific topic, in addition to the supplementary courses we have already given to veteran teachers in that topic," the Education Minister said. Sa'ar pointed out though that "At this stage, the topic is not being taught in junior high schools and it is not among the mandatory matriculation exams."

"The role of the educational system is to instill values, and not just to teach. Investment in virtues and values has a direct and positive effect on educational achievements. We are strengthening democratic values, love of country, values related to our identity and social involvement. Some issues Israel faces today stem from our lack of focus on teaching proper values and virtues," Sa'ar said.

Sa'ar promised to increase class time. "I am very interested in adding time for the study of history. Over the past two years, we added 100,000 hours to school schedules, mainly focusing on language, mathematics, and sciences. We can't make changes in other areas in parallel with the ones we have already made."

Education Ministry to monitor the first day of school

This year, as in the past, the Education Ministry will monitor the events of the first day of school on Thursday, and run an operations center to provide instant responses and solutions for educational staff, parents and students.

District directors will also establish open lines of communication and will be in constant contact with the main operational center.

Police chief instructs commanders to guard schools on September 1

Meanwhile, Police Chief Maj. Gen. Yohanan Danino, instructed commanders to deploy police in schools throughout the country on September 1, the first day of the new school year.

Danino views the opening of the school year as an opportunity to strengthen the connection between law enforcement and students. The police have been instructed to hand out small flyers to first graders with the words "Have a safe and successful year, from your local policeman and policewoman."

Thousands of police, as well as security guards and volunteers are set to secure educational institutions on Thursday. Police Chief Danino, who was a student in Ashkelon years ago, is scheduled to visit schools in Ashkelon and Sderot.

　

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