Yifat Shasha-Biton
Yifat Shasha-BitonMiriam Alster/Flash 90

The Ministry of Education on Tuesday evening inaugurated the situation room ahead of the start of the school year on Wednesday.

Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton said, "I know some parents also have concerns and I also know it will not be easy, but we have a moral obligation to return students to stability. We have a plan that has been formulated with the Ministry of Health, and we will not hesitate to change and adapt it to an evolving reality."

"We will locate verified cases on a regular basis and succeed in giving children the academic continuum," she said, and did not rule out the possibility that classrooms and schools would be closed if there is an outbreak. "Things need to be addressed in a targeted manner. We will constantly monitor what is happening in the education system."

"Where there appears to be an unreasonable contagion, we will not hesitate to close a classroom. We've been doing this for the last two weeks as well. We have a real moral obligation to get the children back to routine," the Education Minister stressed.

Shasha-Biton added that the focus in the coming year will be on reducing disparities. "We will place an emphasis on the emotional and social aspects of students because they are the infrastructure for optimal learning. A child who is not open for learning will not achieve."

About 2.4 million students and about 220 teaching staff are expected to start the school year in classrooms on Wednesday, while about 150,000 students will study remotely.