Approximately 2.6 Million Students Return to School in Israel

Approximately 2.6 million students, including 180,000 first graders, returned to classrooms across Israel on Tuesday for the start of the school year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited the Benzion Netanyahu School in Ramle, which had been renovated following damage from an Iranian missile. President Isaac Herzog also visited a school in the Galilee, where he expressed hope for peace for children in both northern Israel and Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah must not be present for a border of peace to exist.

The Education Ministry is introducing new programs focused on financial education, the use of artificial intelligence in learning and examinations, and the strengthening of students' sense of belonging and resilience. While a center right source framed these initiatives as a means of deepening studies of identity and heritage, a left leaning source characterized them as an expansion of programs aimed at strengthening Zionist identity and noted that students are protesting the militarization of schools. The left leaning source further highlighted a shortage of qualified teachers and a lag in math and science performance, details not mentioned in the center right report.