A record 350,000 pupils of kindergarten and elementary school age returned to school throughout the country this week to find the school week reduced by from two to four hours.
The reduction in the school week, along with the request to teachers to work two additional hours per week without overtime pay, are designed to cope with overcrowded conditions and the lack of qualified teachers.
In villages where new immigrants live, the school week will remain at 26 to 36 hours per week. Schools in these villages will also not be subject to the two and three shift-a-day arrangement devised for the overcrowded cities.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.