Empty classroom
Empty classroomiStock

Israeli government ministers have decided to allow the first three grades of elementary schools and the last two grades of high schools to resume studies starting this coming Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Friday, while preschools and kindergartens remain closed for an additional week.

Grades 4-10 will be opened up gradually during the month of May.

In haredi schools, however, learning will resume next week for grades 6-8 and 11-12, instead of grades 1-3.

Ministers gathered in Jerusalem Friday morning to deliberate on plans to reopen parts of the country’s school system.

At the meeting, which began at 10:00 a.m. Friday, ministers were presented with the Education Ministry’s plan to slowly reopen the school system, beginning with kindergartens, preschools, and elementary schools.

Under the Education Ministry’s plan, kindergartens and preschools would reopen this coming Sunday, but with only half of the children enrolled allowed to attend for the first three days of the week. In the second three days, the other half of children would be allowed to attend, with the two groups alternating every three days.

The plan would also reopen elementary schools on Sunday – but only for the first, second, and third grades.

Israel’s National Security Council argued against the Education Ministry plan, calling for the reopening first of Israeli high schools, claiming that elementary schools, kindergartens, and preschools were not ready to reopen with the new rules in place. The NSC called for a one-week delay in reopening kindergartens, elementary schools, and preschools.

The Health Ministry also opposes the Education Ministry’s plan, calling for a delay of several weeks before schools are reopened.

During Friday’s meeting, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that government ministers had agreed to back the Education Ministry’s plan to reopen elementary schools for grades one through three, but were still debating the other proposals.

“The ministers have agreed on the opening of grades one through three; we need to reach a decision on the kindergartens and preschools.”

Later, Netanyahu added that high school students from grades 11 and 12 would also resume their studies beginning Sunday.

Kindergartens and preschools will be opened a week later, on May 10th.

Grades 4-10, will be opened up gradually during the month of May.