Following the government’s decision, Israel’s education system returned to full operation with full classes starting on Sunday. All educational institutions in the State of Israel have returned to full operation, from kindergarten to twelfth grade, without any division of students into capsules and without restriction on the movements of students between classes.
According to the Health Ministry, there were 82 new verified cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, based on 11,085 test results. As of Sunday morning, there are 206 Corona patients in serious condition, 122 of whom are on respirators. 6,334 died since the outbreak of the pandemic.
To date, 5,343,094 in Israel have received the first dose of the vaccine, and 4,969,853 the second.
The decision to bring back the entire education system comes with a proviso – schools must adhere to the Health Ministry’s guidelines, with an emphasis on wearing masks, maintaining personal hygiene, airing out classrooms, and keeping as much personal distance as possible during breaks and classes, including in teachers’ rooms, and while gathering in common areas, both inside and outside the educational facilities.
Middle and high-school principals (7th to 12th grade) may arrange flexible learning programs to reduce students’ emotional, social, and learning gaps that include individual, group, and integrated learning formats. Integrated learning may be carried out in various settings: open spaces, inside and outside the school itself, through online learning, or in the form of distance learning, which may take place at a rate of up to 20% of the weekly study hours, or up to a weekly learning day.
Education assistants and education workers whose service has been increased will continue to work in primary schools as an integral part of reducing the current gaps.
Learning at gifted student centers will once again take place indoors, and not strictly in open spaces, which was the case earlier.
These guidelines are valid as of Sunday, April 18, 2021. Educational institutions that need more time to prepare will be given until Sunday, April 25, 2021, to implement the changes.