Breaking Update
New incentives for educators in the Gaza envelope
Israel invests NIS 24 million over three years to attract and retain educators in the Gaza envelope's Tkuma region with recruitment grants and innovation.
The outline was formulated following a government decision, after joint staff work conducted during the 2024-2025 school year, and focuses on both recruiting new teaching staff and encouraging educational initiatives in the field. As part of the outline, recruitment grants will be awarded to new teaching staff who will be employed in educational institutions in the “Hevel Tkuma” region, depending on the duration of the commitment and the choice to relocate to the area. The scope of the outline amounts to approximately NIS 24 million over three years, from the budget of the Tkuma Administration. The grants are intended, among other things, for teachers in core subjects, therapeutic professions, kindergarten teachers, and educational counselors, and will be given for a commitment to work from one to three years.
Emphasis is placed on encouraging educational initiatives: teachers, principals, and kindergarten teachers in the “Hevel Tkuma” region will be able to lead pedagogical and innovative initiatives, which will receive a monthly incentive of NIS 1,000 for a school year, subject to the approval of the Ministry of Education and the local authority. In doing so, the outline seeks to strengthen quality educational work, initiative, and local leadership in schools and kindergartens.
It should be noted that this is a dedicated and focused incentive, which is not part of the regular salary, and is intended to address the unique challenges of the “Hevel Tkuma” region, while creating certainty and stability for the education system in the area. The outline will be accompanied by professional research that will examine the effectiveness of the model and allow for adjustments along the way.
The outline will come into effect in the 2025-2028 school years, and constitutes an additional component in the government’s effort to strengthen the social and community resilience of the “Hevel Tkuma” region through a quality and stable education system.
Senior Deputy to the Wage Commissioner, Ohad Elkabetz: “The incentive outline for the ‘Hevel Tkuma’ region will allow for an additional layer that will encourage educational initiatives that will lead to an improvement in the quality of education in the ‘Hevel Tkuma’ region. This is a complementary tool designed to strengthen human capital and support significant educational work where it is most needed.”
Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch: “Strengthening the education system in the ‘Hevel Tkuma’ region begins with a clear national decision to invest in the education and teaching staff working in the field. We have initiated an outline that strengthens initiative, professionalism, and local educational leadership, based on the understanding that quality education is built on responsibility, creativity, and trust. This is a move we are leading to establish a strong, innovative, and stable education system, as a central anchor for community and social resilience – in the ‘Hevel Tkuma’ region and in Israel as a whole.”
Aviad Friedman, Head of the Tkuma Administration: “The Tkuma Administration has set a clear goal for itself to encourage innovation in all areas. The current decision is another step in realizing this vision, and promotes an innovative outline that encourages initiative and creativity within the education system, to strengthen educational work in the ‘Hevel Tkuma’ region.”
Attached is the Wage Commissioner’s circular on the subject.
