Israel’s Education Ministry is mulling the possibility of mandating a shorter school week for kindergarten students by canceling classes on Fridays.
The move, which would apply only to kindergartens facing closure due to a lack of staff, comes in response to an ongoing shortage of kindergarten teachers in the Jewish State.
There are at least 117 kindergartens which still lack teachers as the country moves towards the start of the school year on September 1.
The Education Ministry said in a statement that it is “turning over every stone to provide appropriate answers to the existing shortage of teaching staff.
“In light of this, it is taking a series of steps and actions, which so far have led to the reduction of the shortage from approximately 6,000 teachers to approximately 2,000 teachers for the coming year and it is expected to continue to decrease.
“At this stage the ministry is required To provide a specific response to cases in which the required staff is not found in certain educational institutions,” the ministry said.
“These measures will be given sparingly and after all options have been exhausted so as not to infringe on the children’s right to receive appropriate educational services.”
