High school students' 'wandering' strike enters second day

High school students in Ramat Gan, Rosh Haayin, Ofakim, Yokneam and Deir al-Assad were the first to strike on Sunday.

By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZI
Updated: MAY 8, 2016 23:45
High school students from both the Jewish and Arab-Israeli sectors participate in the Debating Matters tournament (photo credit: ODED KARNI)
High school students from both the Jewish and Arab-Israeli sectors participate in the Debating Matters tournament
(photo credit: ODED KARNI)
High school students in Ashdod, Givat Shmuel, Herzliya, the Jezreel Valley and Kiryat Shmona intend to skip classes on Monday, as the National Student and Youth Council strike enters its second day.
The council renewed its protest on Sunday with a “wandering strike,” which will see high school students from five different municipalities go on strike every day.
Students in Ramat Gan, Rosh Ha’ayin, Ofakim, Yokne’am and Deir el-Asad were the first to strike on Sunday, shutting down schools in their municipalities.
The council called the strike to protest both the cancellation of all extracurricular activities including school field trips by the Secondary School Teacher’s Association, who are protesting their poor working conditions, as well as the ongoing strike by driving examiners, which has seen the suspension of driver’s license testing since March.
“In order not to harm the students of Israel and the proper order of the curriculum, we decided to strike in five different municipalities each time and as such prevent a situation in which students would be absent from school for many days,” Eliav Batito, chairman of the council, said upon announcing the strike.
“This move stems from a deep sense of responsibility for the education system and the goal of not harming exams and matriculation exams scheduled as usual,” he said.
Last week some 350,000 students went on strike Tuesday and Wednesday, effectively shutting down high schools nationwide.
The council voted on Wednesday evening to end the strike so as not to harm the school commemoration ceremonies for Holocaust Remembrance Day. However, on Thursday it was quick to renew its call to strike.