Since the beginning of IDF's military operations in southern Lebanon, the Home Front Command has designated several communities along Israel's northern border with Lebanon as "Level 3," meaning they currently don't have a formal education system actively available.
Students in the settlements who were not evacuated have gone without regular schooling for a year. Representatives of the eight kibbutzim in the Upper Galilee informed the Education, Culture, and Sports Committee yesterday of this situation.
"These communities are essentially living in a war zone," said Dr. Orna Simhon, Director of the Northern District of the Ministry of Education. She added that at least 16,000 students living in the North are still displaced from their homes, and over 90 schools have been damaged since the start of the war due to rocket fire, military activity, or other conflict-related reasons.
The committee, headed by MK Yosef Taieb, held a discussion on the challenges facing the education system in the North amid the security situation.
The community manager of Kibbutz Kfar Szold, located just 5.5 kilometers from the border, discussed how being without proper schooling has been another blow to the community that has been dealing with the consequences of war for over a year now.
"We need to be returned to Level 2 so the children can go to school and parents can go to work. Until now, only security considerations have been taken into account without thinking about the civilians who live here and who are just as much citizens of Israel as anyone else."
Impact of war
Marcela Shelah, the community manager at Kibbutz Sde Nehemia, expressed the challenges faced by the 7,000 residents living in Kiryat Shimona in Upper Galilee. She mentioned that some people have had to relocate due to the high cost of living in the area. She emphasized the importance of making it easier for the residents to stay despite the difficulties. She also highlighted the risks parents face when their children travel to school without protected buses and the lack of warning time to reach shelters during conflict.
Yoram Ben Zur from Kibbutz Amir, a strategic and communications advisor for the Eight Kibbutzim Forum, discussed the impact of the state declaring the area a closed military zone at the start of the war.
He mentioned the fear of a potential infiltration scenario by the Radwan Force, which led to the evacuation of settlements. Despite the hypothetical nature of the scenario, the real threat of rocket fire persisted, creating a stark division in support between those who were evacuated and those who chose to stay.
A representative of the Finance Ministry participated online in the discussion, stating, "Many budgets have been allocated to education and are expected to reach these areas that have not been evacuated as well. "As the Ministry of Education identifies additional needs, we will address them and provide assistance."
Labor MK Efrat Rayten-Marom spoke about the impact of online studies, stating, "We have set up a lobby for the residents of the North. We organize tours and visits and listen to the concerns of students who cannot study and parents who cannot go to work. We understand that efforts are being made, but we should also be open to receiving criticism. One hour of study per day means no studying at all."
MK Rayten criticized the Finance Ministry for not attending the discussion and providing vague answers. He expressed disappointment with their lack of awareness about the difficulties faced by evacuees and their failure to provide any helpful support. Rayten emphasized that this attitude is unacceptable and called for a more proactive and informed approach from the Ministry.
During the discussion, committee chairman MK Yosef Taieb stated that, in response to the concerns raised, he would urgently appeal to the Finance Ministry to arrange assistance for the settlements along the conflict line that were not evacuated.
"We will pursue this with full force; it's unacceptable that no progress has been made. We will continue holding follow-up discussions until the issue is resolved," he said.