During a discussion of the interim Knesset Finance Committee concerning higher education during the coronavirus epidemic, Shlomi Yehiav, head of the Students Union, warned that the country was likely to see an increase in the number of students dropping out of their courses due to lack of ability to cover their expenses.
According to Yehiav, more than half of all students currently enrolled in classes will now be forced to ask their parents for help in financing their courses and covering living expenses, and 45% of students who had been working in order to finance their studies have been sent on unpaid leave. Moreover, around half of those sent on unpaid leave are not entitled to unemployment benefit according to the current regulations.