The government intends to approve Sunday additional budgetary allocations for yeshiva and kollel [full-time Torah] students, as part of the implementation of coalition agreements between the Likud and haredi parties.
Within the framework of proposals which will be brought to the cabinet, the budget for yeshivas will be increased by 48 million NIS, thus bringing the total budgetary allocation for yeshivas and kollels to 1.167 billion NIS.
The increase stems from the cancellation of the condition made for budgeting overseas yeshiva students in 2014. The condition required, then, for budgeting overseas students was that they participate in Israel heritage programs.
"Cabinet decision 674 from 8 November 2015 referring to implementation of coalition agreements stated that the condition of participation in Israel heritage programs should be cancelled and that the Education Minister can decide to allocation resources to overseas students who do not participate in such programs. In accordance with this decision, the criteria for supporting Torah institutions were amended 27 January 2016," stated the proposal.
"Within the framework of the above amendment, a temporary directive was issued according to which overseas students will receive a larger allocation which will be 95% of the sum allocated to Israeli citizens instead of the 60% they received before the amendment was enacted.The greater allocations requires additional budgeting," said the proposal.
Moreover, the proposal stated that "raising the level of support in 2016 constitutes a measure of compensation for not having implemented the amendment in 2015 as a result of the decision to cancel the Heritage program requirement having been made late in that year."