Universities Prep for New School Year in Shadow of War
Like last year, a significant portion of registered students are also expected to serve as IDF reservists, some for a second year in a row.
Israel’s major universities are preparing for the new academic year, with most scheduled to begin the semester on Sunday, Nov. 3. The opening marks the second year in a row in which a significant percentage of university students and staff are expected to serve as IDF reservists.
The last academic year was to have begun on Oct. 15, 2023, but was delayed several times due to the Oct. 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Eventually, learning officially began on Dec. 31, with shortened semesters and a special summer session implemented at most universities.
Due to the large number of student reservists – a full 30 percent of registered students, according to an estimate provided by the Association of University Heads earlier this year – universities during the last academic year provided assistance packages for reservists, which included financial help, private tutors and flexible exam schedules, among other benefits.
These policies, independently decided upon and implemented by individual universities, are expected to continue during the new academic year. The University of Haifa announced students serving in the reserves would be exempt from student housing fees, a continuance of last year’s policy.
Also, Bar-Ilan University announced a “learning assistant” AI program, based around ChatGPT, developed especially to help student-soldiers keep up with their studies while in uniform.
In a message to students this week, Hebrew University rector Prof. Tamir Sheafer said, “Last year we built an exceptional support system — academic, financial, and emotional — to help reservists and their spouses, as well as those displaced from their homes, to successfully complete the academic year.”
Despite immense difficulties, “most students managed to successfully finish the year. We know the challenges have not ended. We will continue to provide support to all students who need it in the coming year as well,” Sheafer said.
The Association of University Heads, in a message to The Times of Israel, said it was “still collating” statistics about student reservists for the new year, but according to data provided by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, some 6,500 students at the university served in the reserves over the last year, out of a student body of 20,000, with 52 percent of these serving over 100 days in total.
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