Distortion Fixed: Orthodox teachers receive tuition reimbursement

Since the beginning of her role, CEO of the Ministry of Education, Dalit Stauber has been successful in making many changes and correcting deformities.

One of these distortions was revised lately: Ministry of Education will pay tuition reimbursement for teachers at a height of 80%. A refund of the tuition cost for the equivalent degree of teachers / kindergarten teachers in the charedi education system.

For decades there was a procedure whereby, any teacher who goes through teacher training, and meets the criteria set by the Ministry of Education in the CEO circular is entitled to tuition reimbursement. Eligibility criteria and conditions for this refund – was never distinguished between teachers recognized unofficial (i.e., Orthodox) and the official education teachers.

Two years ago, the budgetary refund for this installment faced deficit and not all requests for refunds could be approved. Deputy Minister Menachem Eliezer Moses who sought to resolve the matter, responded that tuition repayments are accepted in the employment agreement signed decades ago between the teachers union, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education. Under the agreement, quotas were fixed for refunds of tuition and grants hours, and therefore, it is no longer possible to expand the scope of those who were not included in that agreement.

Throughout the years, teachers the teacher's union members did not use the full quota agreement, and the remaining quota of the teaching staff were not officially recognized (even though not members of the Histadrut Teachers) according to the CEO. In the past two years, because of the application of the 'Ofek Chadash' programs and 'Oz Letmura' in the general education system, many teachers went out for academic studies, and used the cover of tuition reimbursements, till the end.

Since the teachers are not parties to the agreement, and no covering was left, a legal opinion that the Ministry of Education established to fund tuition reimbursement for teacher's with preference to the Teachers Union companies signed under the agreement. As a result, there is almost no budget for orthodox education teaching staff.

Last year, when the budget gap became known, budget surpluses were recruited from there and everywhere to approve at least partial repayments studies. Indeed, after prolonged activity of Moses and his employees the refunds were approved at 55%.

This year, due to repayment requests for תשע"ג, he managed to get a special budget and get tuition reimbursement at 80%. Teachers, who qualify and are entitled to a refund, currently receive a notice of eligibility, directly from the wing.

Moses wanted to thank CEO of the office - Stauber for her assistance and involvement issue, and said that this marked the end of severe discrimination against charedi teachers in the educational system, which were prevented from leaving for teacher training due to drastic cuts in the tuition reimbursement. The reimbursement of 80% is a correction to the situation in recent years and returns it to normal, as was the case for decades.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!