Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced this week that the national education
prize for 2012 will be awarded to the municipalities of Ariel, Ashdod, Yokneam,
Ma’aleh Adumim, Safed and Kiryat Bialik for their achievements in the
field.
“This award is an expression of respect and appreciation for local
authorities who have stood out in their investment in education and in the
importance they accord to fostering the local education system,” Sa’ar said in a
statement.
The winning municipalities will receive a cash prize of NIS
100,000 to be invested into one educational project in the city.
The
award will be given out during an official ceremony on April 30.
Ashdod
Mayor Yehiel Lasri expressed his appreciation for the city’s education
professionals and praised them for their “dedicated work in promoting the
children of Ashdod.”
Lasri added that tools measuring academic
achievement have already shown Ashdod’s excellence in education, but he promised
to continue improving in the field.
Currently, Ashdod has approximately
55,000 students, 3,500 educators and 500 education institutions.
The
city’s education budget amounts to NIS 418 million and constitutes its largest
municipal budget.
Seventeen cities across the country were nominated for
the award. The prize committee toured all the municipalities and met with their
respective education professionals before making the decision.
The
committee explained that the six winning communities displayed unique
activities, effectiveness in their absorption of immigrant children, student
empowerment in schools, educational leadership, good teaching and learning
environments, encouragement of entrepreneurship and innovation and the ability
to foster excellence while addressing diversity among students.
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