1.15 million home tests were collected for children aged 3-12 out of the 1.6 million tests assigned

Nearly 50,000 daycare children in kindergartens and lower grades of elementary schools will return to activity on Wednesday morning after the Sukkot holiday - and tomorrow Thursday the entire education system will return after long weeks of the holiday season. The daycare principals were instructed not to allow the entry of the children who would not present a signed parent declaration of a negative result in the antigen tests, as well as in the schools that would welcome the pupils and pupils tomorrow.
Data from the Ministry of Education show that so far 1.15 million home tests have been collected for children aged 3-12 out of the 1.6 million tests assigned, and it is estimated that about 150,000 students are Corona recoverers who are exempt from the tests. The Ministry of Education estimates that on Wednesday, close to 300,000 parents who have not yet taken the test kits from the Magen David Adom distribution centers will arrive.
The Ministry of Education is preparing for the return of students as it prepares for September 1 by opening district and national situation rooms at headquarters, reinforcing hundreds of centers for answering inquiries from principals, teachers and parents, and conducting preliminary simulations alongside peak alertness in anticipation of rising morbidity upon return from vacation.
Preparations for Operation Antigen 2 began before Sukkot, this time a test that must be passed as a condition of returning to school, in an attempt to prevent verified students from entering educational institutions after mass meetings, shows and trips. The ministry estimates that the tests are expected to reveal at least 4,000 verified students.
However, parents who last night reported a negative antigen result on the portal noticed that the result recorded was actually positive. A kindergarten teacher in the Jerusalem area told Ynet that she discovered the problem when she opened the data presentation of her kindergarten. "I was shocked to find out about five positive children and called the parents to ask how they were. The parents were surprised and said that the children were healthy and even sent me a photo of the test," the teacher said. "Instead of engaging in education, we need to deal with portals, and from the very beginning the portal collapsed." The Ministry of Education said that the fault had been located and would be addressed tonight.
On Wednesday morning, parents will receive a message from the Ministry of Education with a link to an online declaration form that can also be found on the parents' portal, and those who are unable to fill out an online declaration can present a regular declaration to the directors of the institutions. In the event that a student arrives at the educational institution without a declaration of a negative test result and there is difficulty collecting them, they will be allowed to enter the educational institution area - but will be separated from the other students while parents are asked to pick up their children soon.
Schools were asked to explain and prepare parents in advance and in any way possible to avoid bringing their children without a negative test statement in their favor and in favor of their classmates. School principals were also asked to prepare for scenarios and cases where students would arrive without a statement and determine who would contact parents and prepare a proper waiting place until they were picked up, as well as appoint an educational staff member to supervise them and organize learning material for waiting time. "We must act with maximum sensitivity and take care of the students whenever you have been waiting for collection," the Ministry of Education emphasized in a special circular sent to principals. "Separation should be made in dialogue and coordination with the school counselor and in a way that is not as extroverted as possible in order to maintain their dignity."
Kindergarten teachers have also been instructed that in cases where parents who refuse to pick up their children should be reported to the kindergarten supervisors, the directors of the kindergarten departments and the education department of the local authority. As part of the Ministry of Education's preparations, there have been proactive inquiries to school principals to see if they need help and guidance, and so far ministry officials have spoken with 53% of principals.
As part of the "Education Shield" program that is taking place in the red authorities, 7,000 students have been sampled so far and 240 of them have been verified. So far, about 432 institutions have registered for the program, which is subject to the approval of 70% of the parents, with the target being 1,000 institutions by the end of October.
According to the decision of the Corona Cabinet, the pilot for the "green class" outline (according to which only a verified child will go into isolation while his friends will undergo a daily Corona test) will continue until October 15, when a decision will be made on how the education system will operate and continue. Currently the pilot was conducted in seven classrooms in three different schools, and its findings showed that on the first and second day patients were found - but as of the third day no longer. Also, starting Sunday, teaching staff will be required to present a green mark or a negative result to Corona from the last 24 hours before arriving at work.
The chairman of the teachers' union, Ran Erez, turned to Prime Minister Bennett and asked for a postponement of the third vaccination obligation for teachers in two months. According to him, there is human and disproportionate harm to tens of thousands of teachers who were vaccinated with two doses and have not yet had time to receive the additional dose. Erez noted that half of them do not oppose vaccines and will now be forced to stay home without being entitled to a salary or sick leave - while post-primary students are not committed to their green daughter and can get to schools even if they are carriers of the virus without their knowledge.
At the same time, the state-supervised daycare centers, which have been on strike since Sunday, will begin sanctions as early as this morning - and will only open at 4pm in protest of the shortage of manpower and low wages.
"The government is forcing us to go on strike, refusing to negotiate with us," the organizations said. "We asked the Minister of Economy and the Minister of Finance to sit down with us before the second holiday at the negotiating table in order to prevent sanctions and the strike, and unfortunately until now we have not received any response. "Factors and workers due to the low wages, the complex conditions and the significant wage gaps in relation to the assistants of the kindergartens in the local government - this is lawlessness."