Khaberni - The Israeli Minister of Education, Yoav Kish, announced today, Thursday, that schools will not be returning to work in the near future and will remain closed due to the security situation amidst the war.
The decision followed a security situation assessment meeting held this morning in the municipality of Nahariya, amid the military escalation on the Lebanon front and the ongoing war with Iran.
Israeli media reported that Kish clarified during the assessment that educational institutions in border areas with Lebanon as well as the Tel Aviv area and central Israel will remain closed due to the security situation.
Kish stated that the issue of partially reopening schools in the north and central areas "is not on the table at this stage."
According to this decision, the educational process will continue in most areas of the country through remote learning.
This comes despite the difficulties indicated by teachers and students concerning the effectiveness of remote learning under the current circumstances.
Reports indicated that some schools in central Israel decided yesterday not to conduct online classes after a night of intense rocket attacks, allowing students and teachers to rest.
In a notable incident, the Minister of Education himself faced technical difficulties during his participation in a meeting via the Zoom platform, which was designated to discuss educational arrangements in emergency situations; the connection was lost several times during the session.
Regarding the rest of the regions in the country, the minister mentioned the possibility of gradually reopening schools in other areas like the "Gaza Envelope."
He explained that reopening schools in these areas requires prior directives that allow educational authorities to prepare to open the institutions about 24 hours beforehand.
He added that if instructions are issued on Saturday evening, then schools in the allowed areas might open on Monday.
Conversely, officials in the Ministry of Education confirmed that the final decision regarding the reopening of schools will remain with the Home Front Command and local authorities.
They pointed out that any return to face-to-face education will be conducted under strict restrictions and measures related to the security situation and local preparations.
