Thousands of Negev Students Without Power, Parents Boycott Classes

Thousands of students in the Bedouin village of Al-For'a in the Negev are facing a severe electricity shortage, leading parents to boycott classes starting Wednesday. Al-For'a is an unrecognized village, but it houses a service center with four schools and 14 kindergartens, serving approximately 3,000 students.

The educational institutions are housed in portable structures and have been experiencing power disruptions since the beginning of the school year. Parents report that the lack of electricity, particularly air conditioning in the current heat, makes it impossible for students to endure a full school day, often resulting in early dismissals. While these institutions are connected to the national grid, unlike other facilities in unrecognized villages, the connection cannot handle the load, providing power for only a few minutes each morning.

Parents had alerted both the Ministry of Education and the Arad Municipality, which is responsible for maintenance and educational services in Al-For'a, about the issue last year. However, the problem persisted, with no changes made by the start of the current academic year. The electricity outage began on September 1st, shortly after classes commenced.

Discussions with the education administration are ongoing, with parents expressing hope for a temporary solution, possibly even a generator connection, to resume classes next week. They emphasize the significant loss of learning days in recent years due to such issues, stating it's a problem that cannot be postponed.

The Ministry of Education stated that the funds allocated for addressing the problem have been transferred to the Arad Municipality. The Arad Municipality has not yet provided a response.