Science and technology education for Israeli students in peripheral areas is about to get a huge boost, which will hopefully propel them into outer space one day. The Negev and Galilee Development Ministry, along with World ORT's "Kadima Mada" science and technology education program, is launching a new NIS 15 million ($3,733,204) program in Kiryat Gat, Nazareth, Safed, Dimona and Nahariya to expand students' knowledge in the areas of space and astronomy, physics, medicine, genetics and the arts. Students who are chosen to take part in the project are expected to embark on a profound journey that seeks to shape their values, empower them and prepare them to contribute to their communities. Leading research institutions and industrial companies, such as the Weizmann Institute of Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University, Machon Lev Jerusalem College of Technology, Micron Industries and others have contributed to the project. They hope that the program will enable students in the country's periphery to study at institutions of higher learning, obtain research positions and work in knowledge-based industries. The project is open to all students, not just advanced or excelling students; those with learning disabilities will also be included. Vice Prime Minister and Negev and Galilee Development Minister Silvan Shalom said, "Education is the mirror for the country. This type of cooperation in the area of education strengthens the ministry's ability to invest in children from the periphery, from the north to the south. "We are working and investing in education and resources and promoting projects like smart classrooms, a 'password for every child' project, building a strong core of counselors and educators, as well as other projects," he said. "In addition to that, the ministry will give 700 employment-based scholarships and of course, the main headline, the creation of a new medical school in Safed," said Shalom. According to World ORT Director-General and CEO Robert Singer, "The project exposes youths from different backgrounds to the academic world and is a meeting point for youths from the periphery and leading industrial and academic institutions."
Avi Gonen, head of Kadima Mada in Israel, said, "I hope that the boys and girls who participate in the project will grow to become Israel's next scientists and leaders of industry, research and development."
Israel's next astronaut from Dimona?
The Negev and Galilee Development Ministry, along with World ORT, launch new 15 million shekel ($3.7 million) program with leading academic and industrial institutions to enhance science and technology education in peripheral towns.
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