The 2023-2024 school year opened this morning (Friday) in schools and kindergartens across Israel, with approximately 2.5 million students entering Israel's various educational institutions.
Over 1.7 million students arrived at kindergartens and schools, of which approximately 181,000 were first graders starting school for the first time. About 22,400 kindergartens and about 3,480 elementary schools were opened throughout Israel.
About half a million high school students also started the school year after the agreement reached by the Ministry of Finance and the teachers' union.
12,000 of the students are new immigrants who moved to Israel over the course of the past year.
The Ministry of Education says that in the coming school year, the education system will focus on the issue of the social crisis through the program "Education for all Opinions".
"The program deals with the social divisions and the significant disputes that exist in Israeli society and is designed to enable in-depth dialogue and discussion in a protected, inclusive, enabling, and safe environment. The education teams will lead the program in all school grades (from kindergarten to 12th grade) and will mediate on their behalf the disputes that exist in society and the complex reality with it Israeli society is struggling," the Ministry of Education said.
It was also noted that "The annual theme was chosen in accordance with the new work plan of the education system, for the academic year 2023-2024, 'From strategy to practice - stability, flexibility and growth', a system-wide work plan, which defines the vision of the education system for the coming years and the principles for the organizational culture of the Ministry of Education ".
The Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch, said "The education system opens the school year with great excitement and readiness to welcome the Israeli students and the education staff. The entire system is prepared and ready to overcome any challenge it faces. During the school year, the education system will lead the program "Education for all Opinions", which will deal with the social crisis that exists in the State of Israel and will provide a proper, respectful, and inclusive place for protected and safe discourse. Educators will initiate a discourse dealing with the social divide and disputes in society. In this framework, the students and educators will be able to hear and accept different Opinions and be part of a respectful discourse and in the process, you will ensure the common future of Israeli society. In addition, each student will receive a permissive framework that will lead to the development of their abilities, success, and growth, and will allow each of them to connect to their sources of strength and excellence. I believe and am sure that the school year will be fruitful and successful."
The Director General of the Ministry of Education, Meir Shimoni, added: "We are standing at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. In this challenging period in the education system, we are obliged to bring to the culture a discussion of respectful and tolerant discourse. The program "Education for all Opinions" gives students and educators an optimal platform for inclusive discourse on the subject of disputes, and social divides. In addition, this year we will emphasize the values of excellence and excellence and in the process, we will give the students the tools that will lead them to maximum success. I wish all Israeli students and educational staff a successful, interesting, and fruitful school year."
Three new educational institutions were opened in the Binyamin Regional Council this morning: a religious high school for boys that will be operated by the 'Daat' network, a state high school for the towns of West Binyamin, and the first school in Binyamin for special education in the town of Adam.
Alongside this, the council inaugurated about 20 kindergartens, 2 daycare centers, and a new high school building in Gush Adumim. The first kindergarten was built in the settlement of Givat Assaf. In the new town of Malachei HaShalom, which was recently recognized by the government, the council inaugurated a kindergarten.
In Binyamin, there are 10,350 elementary students studying in 35 schools, from which 1,850 students are entering first grade. 6,300 upper elementary students, alongside numerous postsecondary institutions. 1,800 toddlers started the school year this week in 34 daycare centers operated by the council through the Eliad association.