Bill proposes discount in tuition fees for soldiers
Coalition MKs submit bill proposing to provide those who served in IDF, performed National Service with NIS 2,860 for university payments. MK Ahamd Tibi: Bill is racist
A group of coalition Knesset members submitted a bill proposing to provide discharged soldiers with a NIS 2,860 (roughly $780) discount in higher education tuition fees. The MKs claim that those who did not serve could have spent their time saving money and are therefore not eligible for the benefit.
According to the MKs, there currently exists a state of discrimination between students who served in the army or did National Service and did not earn money during this time, and students who did not serve the country and could have spent this time saving money to fund their education. The bill will allow the eligible students to pay NIS 10,500 (roughly $2,860) in tuition fees a year instead of NIS 14,000.
Among the MKs who endorsed the bill are Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), Shaul Mofaz (Kadima) and Alex Miller (Yisrael Beiteinu). They claim that the state currently subsidizes fees for all students equally thus perpetuating the discrimination. This could even indirectly encourage draft-dodging, the MKs submit.
The MKs further noted that students who served the country are forced to work while studying and most are also called for reserve duty.
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) slammed the bill and described it as another step in "Yisrael Beiteinu's racist legislation against Arab-Israelis."
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