New school year underway
Some 2 million Israeli students across 4,528 institutions begin new school year, for the first time not on September 1
Summer moved on: The summer vacation is officially over for about two million Israeli students, who began the new school year on Monday.
This is the first time in Israel's history that the first day of school is not on September 1, due to several reforms in the educational system.
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The new school year welcomes 423,000 preschoolers and 145,374 first-graders. Israel's students will attend 4,528 schools, comprised of 62,995 classrooms, supervised by 141,085 teachers.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited the Education Ministry's situation room on Sunday, to observe the last-minute preparations.
"I'm happy to say that we are beginning the new school year with no threat of strikes or any other mishaps," Netanyahu said.
"We are investing considerable resources in free mandatory education from the age of three… The parents understand that the education system is changing and we are all looking forward to the results."
Minister Sa'ar noted that "The education system is evolving to include a new organizational culture of cooperation between all different elements – all of us are working to advance the educational system and see the students' achievements."
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