Teachers are an important part of any society, as they educate students and grant them the necessary skills to become productive members of their respective societies. Nevertheless, financial cuts to education, and the lack of a budget for it to begin with, threaten the jobs of teachers and subsequently the quality of education that is available.
This is the case in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Israel, wherein the budget for the Education Ministry has been cut by NIS 1 billion give or take. This eye-watering amount has raised some concerns, especially from some 3,000 teachers and educational professionals whose jobs are now at an extreme risk of being lost.
The teachers are not the only ones affected by this financial strictness, as students are also expected to feel its repercussions. Most notably, school hours will likely be cut in order to save a large chunk of money: somewhere in the region of NIS 500 million. Even out-of-school youths attending educational programs will expect to feel the effects of the budget cut.
"There's a plan for budget cuts in all government ministries. It doesn't necessarily mean teachers will be fired; we can make cuts in other places," said officials from the Education Ministry of Israel. "The Education Ministry has a budget of NIS 53 billion a year and we can also cut instead from special needs education, school buses, teacher's assistants, and in other areas. We still don't know where the cuts will be made. We're negotiating with the Finance Ministry," they add.
According to reports from YNet News, the education minister has declined to comment on the budget cuts and its possible effects. However, ministry officials did say that it is among their top priorities to protect the jobs of teachers and other educational professionals, as to not let the quality of education suffer.
