Last Sunday marked the commencement of the academic year for Israeli universities and several colleges, after a delay of two and a half months.
“There are 387,000 students in Israel, 70,000 of whom are still actively serving as reservists in the war. The sheer magnitude of that number is insane, and we must acknowledge its significance,” says Elchanan Felhaimer, chairman of Israel’s National Student Union.
“I’ve had meetings with numerous students currently on reserve duty, spanning from Israel’s northern and southern regions to Hebron and across Judea and Samaria. These students are experiencing a sense of unease and dissatisfaction, feeling neglected and as if they are being left behind. All of Israel’s academic institutions, as well as the Israeli government, need to understand the gravity of the situation and provide them with real solutions.
“Since the beginning of the war,” says Felhaimer, “Israel’s National Student Union has been mobilizing Israeli college students in an effort to support families that were evacuated from communities on the southern and northern borders. It has also initiated an international awareness campaign in collaboration with the Hostage Families Forum, raised millions of shekels for tactical equipment for IDF soldiers, and started collaborations to secure student scholarships.
“Yet, the biggest challenge the Student Union has been working to overcome, for the academic year that began just this week, is how to support students who are still actively carrying out their IDF reserve duty and thus cannot begin their studies along with their fellow students,” he says.
Drilling down
“The first issue we focused on was what are the academic rights of students who are currently carrying out their IDF reserve duty,” Felhaimer explains. “We have demanded that an emergency forum for war-related academic matters be created within the Council for Higher Education that aims to remove cumbersome regulations. Academic institutions can offer a separate, shortened eight- or nine-week semester for those students who can’t start their academic year now.
“Moreover, in the past, online classes were made available for up to one-third of the academic year. We have managed to receive assurances that this semester, students will be able to access 100% of their classes online, be it via Zoom, recorded lessons, or video lectures. This will be a huge help for students who have not yet been released from their reserve duty.
“Additionally, in the past, students serving in the reserves received two academic credits. As of this week, all Israeli academic institutions are permitted to grant four or even six academic credits to students currently serving in the reserves. This is a huge benefit.”
Another issue? Standardization.
“Israel’s academic institutions must agree to offer a certain minimal level of support for students who were reservists during the war,” Felhaimer continues. “Students are returning home after long months of combat, and they are expected to dive headfirst into studying. This doesn’t necessarily align with the reality of what’s happening. Many students will not have the mental capacity to make this sudden switch. They might be suffering from psychological wounds as a result of the horrible things they’ve seen and experienced in the war.
“All of Israel’s academic institutions must commit to providing mental health support for the students returning from the war, as well as academic tutoring and assistance when applicable, especially in the initial period just after they’ve returned to their studies.”
Funding
According to Felhaimer, two weeks ago the Student Union, along with the Budget Committee of the Finance Ministry, achieved several milestones. “We’re talking about a package totaling half a billion shekels. All of the students studying this year at Sapir Academic College and Tel-Hai College, both of which are located in areas that have been evacuated, won’t need to pay any tuition fees and will receive a full scholarship for the upcoming year. “Moreover, we’ve created a NIS 60 million fund dedicated solely to students who are carrying out reserve duty. An additional NIS 140 million is earmarked for academic institutions, and these funds will be distributed proportionally for the number of reserve duty soldiers studying at each institution. This number will be calculated in collaboration with each college’s student union. The package will also include psychological assistance, mental health support, and private tutoring.
“Unfortunately, this is light years away from the amount of funding that colleges actually need,” he notes. “We’re talking about 70,000 students, and so NIS 60 million is tantamount to putting a band-aid on a gushing wound. This absolutely must be compensated for in the country’s 2024 budget. First and foremost, we are requesting that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the Israeli government not make any further cuts to the higher education budget, and instead increase it.
“Two incredibly sad things happened in the 2023 budget. First, the higher education budget was cut by NIS 400 million, and for the first time in the history of the State of Israel, the amount allocated for coalition funds was greater than the higher education budget. That is just pure insanity.
“In the 2024 budget, the State of Israel must commit to investing in the younger generation, with extra emphasis on the students serving in the reserves, especially after what happened starting Oct. 7. This must be reflected in tuition subsidies, scholarships, and assistance in all matters of tuition payments.
“Also, most college students work during their summer break to save money for the following year. This summer, however, it’s very likely that reserve-duty students won’t have time to work, since they’ll be scrambling to catch up on course material they missed while they were on active reserve duty.
“The State of Israel must commit to assisting these individuals by offering them employment scholarships,” Felhaimer asserts. ❖
Translated by Hannah Hochner.