About a quarter of students have also considered either quitting their studies or at least putting them on hold.
By OMRI RONA "Cyber Horse", made from thousands of infected computer and cell phone bits, is displayed at the entrance to the annual Cyberweek conference at Tel Aviv University, Israel June 20, 2016.(photo credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN)
As Israeli universities open once more in light of the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll shows that three-quarters of all students have had their employment hurt by the coronavirus, N12 reported.The same survey, in which 10,000 students participated, also revealed that 90% of students fear that their employment prospects have been greatly reduced due to the pandemic, and 13% have been forced to leave their apartments as a result of the crisis.About 24% of students have also considered either quitting their studies or at least putting them on hold. A quarter of them were haredi students, and more than half (52%) of those considering quitting are Arab students. In addition, 32% of college students and 18% of university students have responded that they considered doing so.Loans among students have also increased in volume, with the average loan taken by students being about NIS 27,204 – about NIS 6,000 more comparison to 2019. Roughly 27% of students have taken a loan in some form."A new social plague has begun to spread in Israeli higher education, one in which only the strong survive," said the head of the national student union, Shlomi Ahiav."While this year has seen an increase in the number of people signing up for academic studies, make no mistake: The students hurt by this economic crisis are being left behind and are being replaced by students who receive help from their parents," he added."The data from this survey should enlighten the decision-makers in the government and higher education," Ahiav said. "The future of young people is the future of the entire country. Turning our backs to them now is turning back from the future of Israel."Many universities announced that due to the pandemic, several classes will be held online rather than on campus.
