Chairman of the School Principals' Association Arieh Locker urged the Education Ministry to call off the matriculation exams set for January due to the ongoing strike in high schools.
"During the end of the previous school year we had sanctions, and this year hasn't really started. We have no time to prepare the students for the matriculation examinations at the beginning of January," Locker explained.
Locker added that preparing for the exams, particularly the English and Hebrew exams, required substantial time from both teachers and students.
Education Minister Yuli Tamir told Ynet that the strike has indeed put the exams in risk. "If the teachers don't go back to teaching in a day or two, there won't be enough time to prepare for the exams."
Education Ministry officials added that those who stand to suffer most from such a decision would be the weaker students, who usually took the winter tests.
Head of the National Student Association Nir Katrero said that the maximum must be done to prevent the exams from being cancelled. "This hurts all those who need to take a makeup exam, especially the weaker populations." However, Katrero stated that the students planned to continue supporting the teachers' struggle.