Tamir: 'I hope the gov't will put education first'

By TALYA HALKIN
Israel's Fulbright Scholars celebrated the organization's 50th anniversary on Monday in Tel Aviv. Education Minister Yuli Tamir, herself a Fulbright alumna, addressed attendees at the celebration and spoke about the scholarship's contribution to her own professional development as an academic. Tamir stressed the importance of scholarships like the Fulbright for Israeli students wishing to study abroad, but also said she was saddened to see some of the brightest Israeli students pursue academic careers outside the country for lack of sufficient funds and job opportunities in Israel. Tamir expressed her hope that the incoming government would put education first and do its utmost to provide students with better opportunities to further their education in Israel, so that it would be able to be among the world's leading academic countries.