Education Ministry Reaches Deal With Southern Council, Averting School Strike

The Ministry of Education and the Neve Midbar Regional Council reached an agreement late Tuesday night, averting a threatened strike that would have disrupted the start of the school year in unrecognized villages. The council and parent committees had warned of a shutdown due to a dispute over budgets needed for the operation of educational institutions.

The council demanded additional funding to cover operational costs, including transportation, utilities, fuel, administrative staff, and other expenses. Following negotiations, both parties came to terms on the disputed issues.

As a result of the agreement, the strike threat has been lifted, and classes are expected to begin as scheduled. The development comes just a week after Education Minister Yoav Kisch assured the Knesset's Education Committee that the school year would open on time, despite concerns about teacher shortages.

During that committee meeting, it was reported that approximately 2.6 million students and 260,000 education workers are expected to participate in the upcoming academic year.