Israel is seeking to raise the age level for compulsory education of children from 14 to 16, thus extending free education to include two years of high school or vocational training, former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion told members of the 120-member United Jewish Appeal Study Mission today.
Next to security, he told members of the mission visiting him at his vacation retreat at Sde Boker, the broadening of educational opportunities represented Israel’s most pressing problem. He said Israel’s “greatest resource is trained brains” and that science, education and manpower would eventually result in the conquest of the Negev. He expressed the hope that many persons imbued with the spirit of pioneering would come to Israel to live in and develop the Negev.
The UJA mission continued its tour of the southern region today, paying a visit to the immigrant township of Shderot where the mission members met the newcomers and studied their problems. They also inspected the Sdom Chemical Works and heard Gen. Mordechai Makleff, director of the Dead Sea Works, report on the firm’s development plans. The group also visited the development town of Arad.
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.
