This is a case of he said / she said - so let's all see the offer. If the government made vague offers as Ran Erez said it will become clear. If there is a real offer out there with actual numbers, dates, etc. then he will have had is bluff called. But enough of this, the teachers are right, there are too many students per class room, and the reform is vague. So make a firm plan and offer so the kids can go back school.

The welfare of the children should come first. This step should have been taken a month ago. Let the teachers go back to work while the negotiations continue in parallel.

40 kids per classroom is not hype, it's reality. How can we maintain educational standards when our teachers spend most of their time babysitting? A reform that does not reduce class sizes is no reform at all.

the moment the "babysitters" go back to work, the boys from the Otzar will freeze all talks with the Union..there will be no negotiations, parallel or unparallel

As much as I sympathise with the teachers, this strike has gone far too long. Our teachers must return to their classes & serious binding negotions must start. These negotions should be supervised by the labor court to keep them honest & realistic. If the teachers refuse to return to their classes, fire them. There are plenty of unemployed teachers who would be more than willing to take their places.

Israel has advanced as a small country in large part because of the high level of education ONCE provided. Due to the influx of immigrants - Israel is now faced with the same problem as Los Angeles - over crowded classrooms, teachers that are not adequately trained - teachers that should no longer be teaching and students that do not speak Hebrew. Unlike Los Angeles - Israel as a nation cannot withstand anything less than a superior education system for their children. The entire system must be revamped - in the meantime - if they cannot get these teacher's to teach - it's time to bring in people who will teach. Israel's unionization system is a disgrace - from airports to the schools - union employees hold the entire country hostage. We can deal with a writer's strike in the U.S. - but a teacher's strike lasting in excess of 1 month - a tragedy that must be resolved immediately.

again we hear from the ministers that they will go to court.They have tried every lie,falsehood,and untruth to get the teachers to start classes with false promises.The minister of education and finance have not given,made or done any moves to advance the ending of the strike,They have said they will look into the grievenses,they will discuss the problems of overcrowding,they will listen to the trade unions demands,they will appoint committees to seee where the problem lies,they will ask parliment for more money--all his but they as politicians do nil.Nothing serious except deception.

Actually, Avraham, there are not plenty of unemployed teachers who would be more than willing to take our places. Actually, the average age of a teacher is 50+. Actually, teaching colleges are closing down due to the lack of students. The "non" -negotiations have been going on since the middle of the last school year, with no results. If we are not serious about our demands (which include more hours for the students, smaller classroom sizes and the salary that educators, of the future generations of our Jewish state, should receive), the sad state of education will continue in this downward trend, and eventually there will be no teachers left to teach our children. Parents,children, teachers, the IDF, in fact, the entire country need(s) this strike so that our future will be better, and not worse than the present.