Ministry of Education — Education rights and assistance for new immigrant pupils

Source: Israeli Government Guide for New Immigrants · 2026-05

62 The “Compulsory Education Law” In Israel there is a “Compulsory Education Law”- children and teenagers from ages 3-17 (who are this age at the start of the school year) must learn in an educational framework (with certain exceptions). In accordance with the law, the State provides free education to children who are of those ages. Under the age of three, education is not compulsory, but there are daycare centers and public nurseries under the supervision of the Ministry of the Economy and Industry for those who are interested. For more information and other details about registering for educational institutions, see the chapter “First Steps” at the beginning of this publication. Assistance for New Immigrant Pupils (Talmidim Olim) Pupils who are new immigrants or returning residents are eligible for assistance in accordance with the regulations that are published in the “Publication of the Director General of the Ministry of Education” - “Hozer Mancal,” which is published at the beginning of every school year. The following list describes the types of assistance pupils may be eligible for: Participation in Education Expenses Pupils who are new immigrants are eligible for a partial financing of education expenses. The financial aid is transferred to the educational institutions through the local authorities. In order to inquire about the exact eligibility terms, one should contact the Ministry of Education Information Center or check on the website. Study Grant from the National Insurance Institute Single-parent families, and families with four or more children that receive a general disability allowance, assured income, alimony payments, old-age allowance, or a survivors’ allowance and meet National Insurance Institute criteria, can be eligible for an annual Education (Chinuch)

63 study grant (Ma’anak Limudim) for children between the ages of 6-18. New immigrants who have been in Israel for more than a year and less than two years, whose spouse did not make aliyah and does not reside in Israel, can submit a request for a study grant for their children. In order to check whether you are eligible, go to the website of the National Insurance Institute at: www.btl.gov.il. Allocation of special teaching hours for new immigrant pupils Immigrant students are eligible for special teaching hours during the school day. The number of teaching hours is determined by various criteria. Concessions on the Matriculation Exams (Bechinat Bagrut) New-immigrant pupils are eligible for concessions on matriculation (bagrut) exams (such as additional time, extra exam grade points, disregarding spelling mistakes, and other concessions) the eligibility and types of concessions are determined according to certain conditions of eligibility. For more information about the absorption of immigrant pupils in the educational system and for telephone numbers of absorption counselors for immigrant pupils, see the website of the Department for Absorption of Immigrant Pupils at the Ministry of Education in Hebrew: https://pop.education.gov.il/new-immigrants/ https://parents.education.gov.il/prhnet/gov-education/studies/ newcomers-rights One can contact the Department for Absorption of Immigrant Students by phone: 073-3931543 E-mail: agafklitato@education.gov.il The Ministry of Education Information Center: *6552 or 073-3983960.