Israeli Finance Committee Approves Nearly 250 Million Shekels for Haredi Education

The Knesset Finance Committee approved budget reallocations totaling approximately 250 million shekels on Tuesday to support the Haredi education system. The funds will be allocated to key areas including salaries for kindergarten teachers, student transportation, after-school programs, teacher training, and educational and welfare initiatives.

Among the approved items are a new budget for Haredi kindergarten teachers that will, for the first time, compensate them according to their seniority. Additional funding will cover transportation for students in the "Independent Education" and "Bnei Yosef" networks, subsidies for after-school programs in unofficial and exempt institutions, and budgets for Jewish cultural activities, dropout prevention, and at-risk youth programs. The budget also includes subsidies for teacher training in seminaries and other educational institutions.

Moshe Gafni, chairman of the Finance Committee and leader of the Degel HaTorah party, welcomed the approval, emphasizing the importance of supporting the Haredi education system amid current challenges. He stated that the funding will help correct longstanding disparities and benefit teachers, students, and educational institutions. Gafni expressed gratitude to those who helped advance the measure and pledged to continue working decisively to secure full rights and resources for Haredi education.