Tiberias School Faces Closure One Month Before New Academic Year for 430 Students

With only one month remaining until the start of the school year, the "Tiferet Banot" school in Tiberias faces a judicial closure order that threatens to leave approximately 430 female students without an educational framework. The closure order targets the building housing the school, which operates under the "Tiferet Tiberias" institutions and is affiliated with the "Maayan Hachinuch Hatorani" network. The order was issued due to unauthorized construction carried out years ago, including enclosing open balconies to create classrooms, intended to address overcrowding.

The building itself is estimated to be around 100 years old and does not meet current Ministry of Education standards. Over the years, temporary solutions have been used to maintain operations, such as converting various spaces into classrooms and using part of the dining hall for learning. The building is rented, not owned by the school, with a lease agreement requiring evacuation by 2028. However, the closure order and the building's poor condition have made finding an immediate alternative urgent.

Insiders indicate that even a temporary solution to the closure order will not resolve the fundamental issues of the aging structure and severe classroom shortages. They stress the need for a permanent solution that guarantees suitable learning conditions in a new, adapted facility. Parents express significant concern as the school year approaches, with no alternative arrangements presented yet to ensure a smooth start for the hundreds of students.

Responsibility for advancing a solution lies with the Tiberias municipality, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Maayan Hachinuch Hatorani network. Alongside securing a short-term alternative location, there is a call to allocate land and build a new school to provide a long-term solution. As of now, with only a month left before school begins, no resolution has been announced, raising fears that many students may be left without schooling at the start of the academic year. The Tiberias municipality has not yet responded to inquiries from 'Bachadrei Haredim.'