Source: The Marker
The Knesset Finance Committee budgeted 1.3 billion NIS to finance the construction of hundreds of new kindergartens in compliance with the newly passed compulsory education law, guaranteeing free kindergartens from the age of three throughout Israel. Construction will commence immediately on about 500 kindergartens which should be ready by the beginning of the next school year. Hundreds of kindergarten teachers are needed so staff these kindergartens. However to fully implement the new law 2000 kindergartens must be built in the next 3 years.
Fully staffing all the new kindergartens will require nearly 3000 licensed kindergarten teachers over the next three years. Over 600 must be recruited by the next school year to staff the newly built kindergartens. The Education Ministry has announced plans to recruit pensioners and final-year education students next year in a bid to staff hundreds of new kindergartens. Ministry representatives have requested that education faculties schedule studies for afternoon hours, so students in their final training year could work full-time in kindergartens while completing their studies in the afternoon.
The plan was criticized by students, teachers and former kindergarten teachers as not realistic.