Yifat Shasha-Biton
Yifat Shasha-BitonKnesset spokesperson

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday approved a proposal to cap the price of afternoon programs.

The proposal was initiated by Special Committee for the Rights of the Child Chair MK Yifat Shasha-Biton (Kulanu) and Education, Culture, and Sports Committee Chair MK Yakov Margi (Shas).

According to the bill, afternoon programs will be limited to 35 children and the Education Ministry will be able to set the maximum parental payments, as well as the various services each afternoon program must offer.

A special system to supervise afternoon programs will be set up in the Education Ministry, and an afternoon program which charges more than the set amount will be fined 50,000 NIS.

The new system will also supervise all afternoon programs which receive government assistance, even if they are not directly run by their municipal or regional council.

The new bill will be combined with a previous bill submitted by Shasha-Biton in November 2016. Both bills are considered groundbreaking in their proposal to supervise what was previously considered "no-man's land," and both turn charging more than the set amount into a criminal action.

"The protest against afternoon programs fell on attentive ears," Shasha-Biton said. "This proposal will put an end to the lack of supervision and the unreasonable prices. I am sure this will lower the high cost of living, which so many families are having difficulty with."