COVID-19 lockdown: Education Ministry announces distance-learning plan

• Date: 07 January 2021
• Published date: 07 January 2021
• Author: HANNAH BROWN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Remote learning has come in for huge numbers of complaints over the past year for many reasons: some families do not have enough devices for all their children, children do not pay attention as well online and often to not even log on, there has been confusion over scheduling and frustration over the fact that parents are expected to help out when anything goes wrong.

Education Minister Yoav Gallant clearly expressed his wish to keep the school system open, noting in a statement Thursday that, "the analysis of the data of the education system by the best experts and analysts proves that the education system curbs infection, since about 85% of the morbidity data occurred outside the education system. It has also been proven over time that morbidity rates among students who do not stay in educational institutions are higher than those of students studying at the time."

The education guidelines for remote learning released later in the day Thursday were an attempt to fine tune the remote learning process.

Preschool and kindergarten staff will make sure to contact the parents, in order to plan for the needs of the children and the parents themselves. The team will set regular schedules for meetings and provide updates on how to help with the teaching program. These young children will have individual programs as much as possible.

Elementary school children will study at least five days a week. There will be a mix of learning in full classes and smaller groups and the whole class will check in with its homeroom teacher in the morning and the evening...