The government is offering a grant of up to NIS 72,000 to new teachers and psychologists in the Gaza border communities, according to a joint announcement by the Finance Ministry's Wages and Labor Agreements Department, the Education Ministry, and the Tekuma Administration.
According to the announcement, the Tekuma region grant is meant as an incentive to help strengthen the area's education system by encouraging new employment and promoting educational activities.
Education Minister Yoav Kisch shared that sentiment, saying that the initiative "strengthens schools" in the region.
"It helps build the layer of educational leadership that will accompany the children of the Gaza border area in the years to come,” he added.
The professionals sought by the new plan include those versed in English, computers, physics, biology, chemistry, technology, therapeutic professions, kindergarten teaching, and educational counseling, with exceptional cases made for additional subjects determined to have a unique need in the region.
The highest grants will be awarded to professionals who relocate to the region from a distance of at least 30 km and will be determined by the length of their commitment.
"A new classroom can be built within months," said Kisch. "Building an education community takes years."
NIS 54 million in funding for grant
The plan will apply to school years through 2028 and will include NIS 54 million in funding, NIS 30 million of which will be from the Tekuma Administration budget.
“The education system is one of the central components in the rehabilitation and renewed growth of the region," said Tekuma Administration head Aviad Friedman. "We are working to strengthen the human capital that leads the next generation."
"Our goal is not only to meet existing needs, but to create a high-quality reserve of educators who will choose to build their homes in the region, integrate into local communities, and lead the region’s education system in the years to come,” said Friedman.
Deputy Finance Ministry Wage Director Ohad Elkabetz also lauded the plan, saying it "will make it possible to create another layer that will encourage educational initiatives that will improve the quality of education in the Tekuma region."
"This is a complementary tool intended to strengthen human capital and support meaningful educational work where it is especially needed,” Elkabetz added.