President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal will travel to Yokne’am in the Lower Galilee Friday to open the new school year at the Yokne’am School of the Arts.
On arrival, the Herzogs will be welcomed by Mayor Shimon Alfasi who will accompany them to the various places they will visit, and, together with them, will sit in on a class of first graders. Herzog likes to interact with young children, whose opinions are still their own, untainted by external influences.
The municipality devotes 42% of its budget to education, and 75% of its students graduate high-school and pass their bagrut exams. NIS 42 million was invested in the opening of the current school year.
In addition to the significance it places on education, Yokne’am is also a hi-tech hub, with some 150 companies engaged in R&D. It is also one of the first green cities in Israel, with numerous environmental protection programs and projects.
Herzog's personal connection
It has twice been awarded the Environment Ministry’s Green City Prize for reducing greenhouse emissions, recycling and waste separation, care of public parks and gardens, and its courses in environmental protection.
Herzog has a personal interest in all these issues, so the visit will involve more than the opening of the school year.
Herzog, who attends school year openings of state and haredi schools, makes a point of going to a different geographic area each year to learn more about the country and the lifestyles of residents in different regions.