The government agreed upon grants for College students amounting to NIS 800 million

The government and the student union have agreed on an economic plan for students affected by the corona crisis, amounting to NIS 800 million. The program consists of three main components of assistance - expanding the system of scholarships for students, promoting youth employment and a one-time reduction in the payment of security fees to academic institutions. This is in fact the addition of scholarships and discounts amounting to about 300 million, and the consolidation of budgets for professional training and employment into the program. This assistance is in addition to the NIS 100 million assistance package provided in the summer.
The budget for scholarships for students from the state will increase from NIS 500 million to NIS 750 million. The program includes expanding the scholarship system for students based on socio-economic criteria by NIS 150 million, from NIS 120 million to NIS 270 million. Scholarship amounts will range from NIS 4,000 to NIS 12,400. Scholarships will also be awarded to students studying in non-budgeted institutions, technology colleges, and for the first time also to students from colleges of education.
The assistance system of the institutions of higher education will also be expanded, and a special assistance fund will be established for victims of the Corona crisis in the amount of NIS 50 million. A national task force of students will be established in the Ministry of Social Equality that will distribute scholarships in exchange for volunteering with senior citizens. The new scholarships, amounting to about a quarter of a billion shekels, will be added this year to the ongoing support for students provided by the state in the amount of over half a billion shekels a year.
A problematic item in the plan is a one-time reduction in the payment of security fees at the budgeted academic institutions in the estimated amount of NIS 50 million. This is a horizontal benefit that students who do not need assistance will also benefit from.
In the field of employment, the Ministry of Labor and Welfare will invest NIS 150 million in promoting the employment of young people, with an emphasis on population groups with a low participation rate; The internship program for students will be expanded during the degrees with funding of NIS 30 million, and priority will be given to students in new positions in the education frameworks of NIS 300 million.
The plan includes, as usual, new budgets as well as existing budgets that have been pooled. For example, it includes NIS 180 million for vocational training of students, while NIS 700 million intended for vocational training has not yet been used for the most part. It also includes the opening of jobs in the field of education in the amount of NIS 300 million, when these are jobs in daycare that had to be opened in any case.
To summarize, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Finance Israel Katz, Minister of Higher Education Zeev Elkin, Minister of Social Equality Meirav Cohen, Chairman of the Ministry of Education Prof. Yaffa Zilbershtz and Chairman of the National Student Association, Shlomi Yehiav.
Netanyahu said that "we promised to take care of our students - and we kept them." The Minister of Finance, Israel Katz, said that "this is great news for the student public who are the future generation of the State of Israel." The Minister of Higher Education, Zeev Elkin, said that "the assistance will help students in the State of Israel to continue their studies. As I said before, I see my role largely as the Minister of Students." Chairman of the WT, Prof. Yaffa Zilbershtz, said that "the aid package will ensure that there will be no dropout due to financial constraints."

The chairman of the National Student Union, Shlomi Yehiav, said that "we have waged an uncompromising struggle with the student unions to make sure that every student who is financially affected will receive assistance that will enable them to overcome the crisis, reintegrate into the labor market and continue their academic studies."