In a visit to the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) earlier this month, Education Minister Yifat Sasha-Biton commended the school for narrowing the economic and educational gaps in Israeli society.
“I’m delighted to visit an institution that works to reduce the gaps in Israeli society in a quest for true equality, while successfully integrating the holy and secular worlds into their curriculum,” she said during her visit to the campus on Sunday. “Doing so improves the financial situation of many in the Haredi world and helps strengthen Israel’s economy. Moreover, by educating them in state-of-the-art technologies, students are primed to be high-earners in engineering, hi-tech, and computer science.”
Her visit kicked off with a working meeting with college administrators where she was briefed by JCT President Prof. Chaim Sukenik who explained that 42% of the college’s students study Engineering and 53% of them are women - a record for Israeli educational institutions. They also informed her of the school’s success in placing its graduates in engineering and hi-tech roles in some of the most prominent businesses in the country. Additionally, the minister was told about the large number of JCT graduates who went on to win the Israel Defense Prize, which is awarded to people and organizations who have made significant contributions to the defense of the State of Israel.
After the meeting, she toured the campus along with Sukenik, Professor Yossi Makori, Chairperson of the Planning & Budgeting Committee of the Council of Higher Education, and JCT administrators including CEO Yossi Zeira, Vice President Doni Fogel and outgoing Vice President Stuart Hershkowitz, as well as other members of the college’s senior staff.
Shasha-Biton then met with students, including ones who come from the most respected Yeshivas in the Haredi world and are currently enrolled in programs in engineering, computer science, electronics, electro-optics, and health sciences.
Prof. Sukenik remarked, “We thank the minister for her visit. Her commitment to reducing gaps in Israeli society and to providing equal opportunities for all, dovetails with JCT’s worldview. Our graduates routinely integrate themselves seamlessly into the high-tech workforce and the Israeli start-up ecosystem. We hope to continue working together to further integrate women and under-represented minorities into the professions of the future in order to propel the country forward.”