Today was the day of Education Minister Limor Livnat\'s traditional pre-school-year press conference, and she took full advantage. She outlined her office\'s plans for the new year, and practically begged the Teachers\' Union leaders not to delay the beginning of the school year with a \"traditional\" strike. Teachers\' Union leader Avraham Ben-Shabbat hinted that there was room for optimism on this score, but said that the final answer will be given only on Tuesday. Livnat said,
\"I call upon you [union leaders], come now, today, right here, and announce that there will not be a strike of the educational system at the beginning of the school year. Give the entire public a feeling of security - for the public is comprised of parents, children, and teachers - that this regular routine of every year, which we are all sick of, and certainly at a time like this, will not repeat itself. This Saturday night, will we all have to wait a whole night, and then turn on the radio at 6 AM with fear and trepidation and find out whether there will be classes or won\'t be? \'Did they sign, or didn\'t they? Should we go to work, or not? What to do with the toddlers?\' Enough! I\'m telling you, Avraham [Ben-Shabbat], there is no place for this.\"
Educational plans for the public school system, as outlined by Minister Livnat today, include the addition of an extra weekly hour for the 6th-8th grades for the instruction of Jewish tradition and culture, and a new subject on \"Eretz Yisrael [Land of Israel] and Archaeology.\" In addition, identification cards will be given out to each student, in a program run jointly with the Interior Ministry, there will be Hebrew music during recess, and students will be encouraged to join youth movements. Livnat is still facing criticism for her stated desire to withhold special funding for Arab schools that teach disloyalty to the State of Israel.
\"I call upon you [union leaders], come now, today, right here, and announce that there will not be a strike of the educational system at the beginning of the school year. Give the entire public a feeling of security - for the public is comprised of parents, children, and teachers - that this regular routine of every year, which we are all sick of, and certainly at a time like this, will not repeat itself. This Saturday night, will we all have to wait a whole night, and then turn on the radio at 6 AM with fear and trepidation and find out whether there will be classes or won\'t be? \'Did they sign, or didn\'t they? Should we go to work, or not? What to do with the toddlers?\' Enough! I\'m telling you, Avraham [Ben-Shabbat], there is no place for this.\"
Educational plans for the public school system, as outlined by Minister Livnat today, include the addition of an extra weekly hour for the 6th-8th grades for the instruction of Jewish tradition and culture, and a new subject on \"Eretz Yisrael [Land of Israel] and Archaeology.\" In addition, identification cards will be given out to each student, in a program run jointly with the Interior Ministry, there will be Hebrew music during recess, and students will be encouraged to join youth movements. Livnat is still facing criticism for her stated desire to withhold special funding for Arab schools that teach disloyalty to the State of Israel.