Education Minister: Schools Will Open in September

Education Minister Yoav Galant said Wednesday that schools will open in September, under strict conditions to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.

According to the Education Ministry plan, every student in Israel will come to school at least once a week. The plan suggests that in-person classes, including at daycares and kindergartens and through high school, will be capped at 18 students. Most students will learn part of the time from home.

Galant stressed the need to open the year as planned and the possible impact of non-opening on the economy. “We understand that developing the education system is necessary for opening up the economy,” he said. “Every day that the education system is closed costs us NIS 300 million.”

Schools were closed in mid-March, but almost the entire education system was approved to return by mid-May, a move that some policy experts have blamed for the resurgence of the coronavirus.