Minister of the Interior Eli Yishai spoke out Sunday in favor of technical colleges, which went on strike Sunday, the first day of the academic year, over the government’s failure to provide promised funding. “The state of Israel and the Education Ministry must find funding for these technical colleges, which are vital to economic growth,” he said.

Budget cuts hitting the schools “is the state shooting itself in the foot,” he added.

Most of the schools are located outside central Israel, he noted. “Hurting them causes direct damage not only to the economy, but to residents of the area,” he warned.