The head of the Teachers' Union, Yaffa Ben-David, on Thursday blasted Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton over her conduct regarding the abolition of the quarantine outline in the education system.
In an interview with Channel 13 News, Ben-David said, "With all due respect to the Minister of Education, I represent the teaching staff. She should have stood by them."
"The Minister of Education is also responsible for the teaching staff, she is the employer of all the teaching staff in the country. She did not stand by them and she should have been more attentive," she added.
Ben-David explained the conversation she had with Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of public health services at the Health Ministry.
"Dr. Alroy-Preis was wronged, I turned to her. I turned to her as I have turned to [coronavirus czar] Prof. Zarka, and in the past I turned to other experts and senior officials of the Ministry of Health. I asked her, I told her that I heard that senior Ministry of Health officials have reservations about the matter. She told me exactly what she said to the general public. Her opinion, like the opinion of others, is that the outline should be rejected as it is at the present time. She did not tell me to help her or to reject it. Prof. Zarka also said that his opinion is that the situation today is a dangerous situation."
Ben-David would not apologize for her steps, which included announcing a strike in schools which was later struck down by the Labor Court. "I shouted on behalf of the teaching staff who were forgotten, they are just transparent. I made sure someone heard their cry to protect their health and well-being. When the professional echelon in the Health Ministry said the isolations should be eliminated, we said 'they made the decision and they know what they are talking about.'"
Shasha-Biton said in response, "Yaffa Ben-David shatters the fragile routine of children and parents and harms them. She knew about the outline, which is accepted by many experts, for a week and agreed to it. Her conduct does not reflect the dedication of the teachers in the field."