Universities Won't Open on Time

University heads and their students united Wednesday to declare a delay in opening the school year unless the Finance Ministry adds more money to the budget.

The announcement came following a meeting between representatives of the University Heads Committee (UHC) and the Israel Student Union (ISU) in which it was decided the academic year would not be allowed to open as planned on November.

The UHC sent emails to their 150,000 students throughout Israel to inform them that "unfortunately… following negotiations with the Finance Ministry, we cannot commence the academic year."

UHC Chairman and president of Jerusalem's HebrewUniversity, Professor Menachem Megidor, characterized the situation as a disaster: "Closing down the research universities is a disaster for us and the students. If the $125 million promised by the government is not transferred to us we will have no choice; we will not be able to begin the year as scheduled."

In addition, the two groups agreed to hold demonstrations to protest the Finance Ministry's reluctance to fulfill its financial obligations under the recommendations of the Shochat Report submitted a year ago.

"The promises made by the Israeli government – that it would tackle the root of the problem and guarantee the survival of the [education] system for many years to come – have not been fulfilled," said the UHC in a statement. "Negotiations with the Finance Ministry have not resulted in an accord that would enable the proper function of the universities."

Although neither the students nor the administrators have any particular commitment to the other, the issue is greater than the constituents involved, student union leaders said. They  told reporters that the joint action did not place students "hand-in-hand in with university heads," but rather they had elected to stand together because "the students understand the pressing budget needs."