No Seichel, No Education-By Steve Walz

My daughter is one of the "chosen few" high school kids, who actually is attending class these days. What would Israel be without a crippling strike? And you thought France and Italy cornered the market on strikes?
The government and the teacher's union had all summer to discuss a new contract that would have given hard-working high school teachers a long overdue raise (on average they make about $400-$450 a week). But even a simple raise is so steeped in politics and personal agendas that the once vaunted Israeli educational system has dropped from being one of the best in the world to sheer mediocrity. Unfortunately, at least 30% of the teachers are burned out and need to be replaced by young and motivated educators who can actually reach out and influence youngsters-whether they attend secular or religious high schoolers.
One look at the high school kids who roam the streets of Israel these days and you begin to realize that the educational and parental systems are on the verge of collapse. And so here we are, 2 months into the school year and 90% of Israel's high school kids are sleeping late, going to the mall or looking for part-time jobs. In the interim, the high school teachers are unemployed with no visible means of supplementing their income until the strike ends.
Why didn't the government go to the National Labor Court 2 days after the strike began to force the teachers and their union back to work and submit to "arbitration"? Politics and egos. The Education Minister, Yuli Tamir, is a Labor Party hack who also holds the title of "Professor". Oy, va voy-her prestige is at stake here. Forget the students and teachers-they're just pawns in a larger game that victimizes Israeli society 365 days a year.
Oh and why does my daughter have school? Because her Bnei Akika Ulpana is a Torah institution that maintains that religious Jews can't go without learning Torah. An altruistic and Biblical priniciple true enough. However, the frum teachers belong to the striking union and are caught between a rock and a hard place. I sympathize with the teachers. But as long as I pay tuition, my daughter needs to be educated during the school year. Vacation ended on September 1.