Teachers' Association strikes set to continue Tuesday

Some 80 schools will be closed on Tuesday, affecting some 10,000 high schoolers.

By SARAH LEVI
Classroom (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Classroom
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Amal High School Network is the next group of schools to join the ongoing Teachers’ Association strike.
Some 80 schools will be closed on Tuesday, affecting some 10,000 high schoolers. The strike has been in effect since last Sunday and has affected tens of thousands of pupils.
Budget negotiations seem to be making progress: Both parties agreed to increase the starting salary to NIS 8,000 and give raises of NIS 1,000 to 2,000 per month for senior teachers.
The union is demanding that the raises take effect immediately. The Finance Ministry has yet to comment.
The Teachers’ Association also announced on Monday night that strikes will take place in Kafr Kara and Jasr a-Zarka due to student violence toward teachers and staff in their high schools.
Based on a statement released by the Teachers’ Association on Monday, several teachers tried to break up a fight between students in a Kfar Kara high school, but the students physically attacked them and threatened to set their cars on fire.
High schools in Jasr a-Zarka will also be closed on Tuesday due to reports of violence against one of the high school’s guidance counselors.
In response, the Teachers’ Association issued a statement on Monday night saying it “will not tolerate violence against teachers, which is increasing over time. The association demands that the state deals with this issue in a thorough and comprehensive manner, which up until now has not been sufficiently dealt with.”