World Jewish News

Starting next year, privileges and discounts for students in Israeli universities will be canceled.

Under the new economic program suggested by the Ministry of Finance, the lowering of the first academic degree tuition in Israeli universities will be canceled. A commission headed by Judge (Ret.) Eliagu Vinigrad has decided to gradually decrease the payment for higher education. In 2001, the Government ratified the commission's recommendations and decided to implement the plan during several following years.
This year, students had to pay 17% less of the tuition, the governments reimbursing the margin to the universities. Starting next academic year, the privileges for students will be canceled. According to the Ministry of Finance experts, this step will allow the treasury to save about 300,000,000.00 shekels annually. The Ministry of Finance suggests paying scholarships to students from poor layers of society, that is those who have suffered the most form the cancellation of the reduced tuition. One hundred and fifty billions of shekels will be given for this end in 2003-2004 financial years.
In addition to all that, the Ministry of Finance is planning to cancel the privileges to student-repatriates. Up until now, the Absorption Ministry's Student Office has paid the students-repatriates' entire first degree tuition. The elimination of subsidizing of the "news Israelis'" higher education will allow the annual saving of 90,000,000.00 shekels, with 30,000,000.00 shekels already saved this year; for the financial year concurs with a 1/3 of the current academic one, reports "Walla-news".

Источник: Sem40.ru