Israel Teachers’ Strike Will Not Affect Students’ Credits

An Education Ministry official promised the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, today that students in secondary schools would not lose credit for a semster’s work if the present teachers’ strike continues until the end of the current term. The secondary school teachers walked out Sunday in support of demands for higher pay.

Ami Assaf, Deputy Education Minister, said that the Government would make arrangements for final examinations for such students if the strike was an extended one. The assurance was given in reply to urgent motions to debate the situation created by the strike.

The secondary school teachers, who split away from the Teachers Union in the Histadrut, Israel’s labor federation, demanded conditions which would give them more recognition as holders of academic degrees as compared to the elementary school teachers in the Histadrut union.

Although Israel has no public secondary school system and such schools are under private auspices, the Government does have a stake in such education through scholarships and partial support for needy secondary school students.

One of the problems Government peacemakers face is the fear that if secondary school teachers win pay increases higher than those recommended by a special commission, or acceptable to the Histadrut teachers union, the victory would set in motion a wave of similar demands by other teachers employed either by the national government or by municipalities.

The Education Ministry official also told the Knesset that his Ministry would not permit reopening of schools under private arrangements between parents and teachers by which the parents would pay higher tuition fees to make possible teacher salary increases.