Qalansawe Schools Strike Over Budget Cuts Amid Financial Irregularities

Schools in Qalansawe, including elementary, middle, and high schools, kindergartens, and nurseries, will observe a comprehensive strike on Monday. The strike is a protest against a significant reduction of approximately 2.55 million shekels from the education budget.

The municipality stated that the budget cut stems from financial irregularities discovered in the "Nitzanim" (Buds) project during the 2022-2023 academic year. They emphasized that these violations occurred under the previous administration and are not the responsibility of the current leadership.

The current administration has rejected these "violations and misuse of funds," asserting no connection to them. The decision to strike was made in consultation with the municipal council and the head of the parents' committee, protesting both the financial irregularities and the Ministry of Education's budget reduction.

The municipality warned of severe financial repercussions from the budget cut, potentially impacting the regular payment of salaries for education staff and assistants. The reduction is also expected to degrade the quality of educational services and limit the municipality's ability to provide essential school resources, especially with the new academic year beginning and limited budgets.

Qalansawe officials indicated that protest actions may escalate if the Ministry of Education does not address the crisis. Their actions aim to protect the rights of students and staff and ensure the continuity of educational services. The municipality plans to release a detailed statement from the mayor addressing the circumstances, actions taken, and future steps to mitigate the budget cut's impact.