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Our Politicians Bicker – and Needy Youth Pay the Price

Ma’ariv, Israel, August 23

The Education Ministry recently announced that 8,000 students in need will not be able to return to school in a few weeks due to budgetary cuts. While our politicians continue to bicker, thousands of at-risk teenagers will be ejected from the state’s educational system and be left alone on the streets. Unfortunately, these boys and girls will join a list of other student populations whose needs have been ignored by our policymakers in the wake of the ongoing political crisis, including those with learning disabilities, those experiencing financial trouble, and those without access to technology at home. The fact that our leaders fail to understand the severity of this situation is the ultimate testament to the moral bankruptcy of this government. One can’t help but wonder how our politicians spend their time and what issues they are busy with. How is it possible that not a single representative from the Education Ministry bothered showing up to the Knesset hearing about budget cuts to further educational programs. Anyone in their right mind understands that an investment in education is a lucrative and worthwhile investment in the long run. Every single dollar saved right now on these programs will cost the government a fortune – perhaps 10 times more – when it is forced to deal with the children it sent to the streets. This goes without mentioning the long-term impact on the economy, which will experience a shrinking educated workforce. An investment in education has a multiplier effect that ripples across most aspects of our lives. Indeed, it’s fair to say that our government’s investment in education can, in and of itself, determine the fate of our future as a country. We must therefore demand that our policymakers prioritize education and allocate sufficient resources to educating our youth, especially at a time of a global pandemic. It’s about time that our politicians leave aside their selfish political brawls and begin spending their time advancing the interests of those who put them in office. – Tomer Samarkandi (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)