(Israel Hayom JNS) Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration will allocate NIS 20 million ($5. 8 million) as a component of an emergency budget to encourage learning Hebrew for new immigrants.
The budget will go to private language schools, which are not subsidized by the state, to help address the severe shortage of Hebrew teachers.
A recent report through the Knesset Research and Information Center, which was submitted to the Education, Culture and Sports Committee, showed that Israel is short of 88 educators, leading to a six-month waiting list for 3,600 new immigrants seeking to be accepted into schools, known as ulpanes. to start learning Hebrew.
Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer welcomed the move, saying subsidizing personal Hebrew schools is a quick fix.
Of the 24,000 new immigrants who arrived in Israel in 2022 and studied in Ulpan, 6,000 did so in institutions, according to the report.
“I am very pleased that we have discovered a budget solution to fund vouchers for thousands of new immigrants who settled in Israel last year. . . These thousands of olim [immigrants] will learn Hebrew and integrate more easily into Israel’s tough job market. “
In total, Israel welcomed 75,000 new immigrants last year, mainly from Ukraine and Russia, with a number expected this year.
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