The Immigrant Absorption Ministry is looking into privatizing the free Hebrew language courses, ulpan, which immigrants receive when making aliyah.
The Education Ministry is currently in charge of Israel's ulpan programs, but is shifting responsibility for the courses to the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and hoping to cut the budget for ulpan by 50 percent, seeking to focus its efforts on the education of children rather than olim. The Education Ministry plan would cut the number of ulpan teachers from 600 to 300, and would cut up to NIS 40 million from the ulpan budget to cover the pay increase promised to the country's teachers following the recent strike.
Immigrant Absorption Ministry Director-General Erez Halfon said the Education Ministry also wants to cut the budget for religious conversion classes which would have a serious impact on many new immigrants, especially those from Ethiopia, who must undergo conversion in order to obtain full Israeli citizenship. Halfon said he welcomes integrating ulpan into the Immigrant Absorption Ministry.