Parents will no longer have to pay for swimming lessons for their children in schools that offer swimming, the Knesset Education Committee decided Monday. MK Alex Miller, chairman of the Committee, said that requiring payment for lessons that are a part of the school curriculum was illegal, and ordered the collection of the fees stopped immediately.
Meir Shimoni, an Education Ministry official attending the meeting, said that the fees were not for the lessons, but payment for entry into the facility, which is usually run by the municipality or local authority and is not free for the school to use. He said that the Ministry would seek a formal discussion on the matter with the Committee in the coming days.