Meanwhile, WIZO, Na'amat and Emunah day care centers are expected to join the strike and shut their doors today. Abuav listed the transportation problem as the worst safety risk caused by the strike. Unlike the buses paid for by local councils, many public buses stop quite a distance from the schools, and their schedules aren't necessarily synchronized with the school bell. He also noted the safety risk involved in having children walk long distances from their homes to a bus stop and then from the stop to the school. While he upheld the right of employees to strike, Abuav appealed for unions to try to leave the schools out of labor disputes.
Every strike does irreparable damage.
The education system should be beyond the realm of strikes. Abuav also complained about the damage to the schools' hygiene, since custodial staff was also on strike. Afternoon programs run by local councils for children in disadvantaged areas also could not operate yesterday because of the strike, Abuav said. As for the kindergartens, parents stood in for the assistants in only some preschools, and the local councils attempted to help ease the situation, Abuav said. Neither he nor the Education Ministry were able to provide figures as to how many of an estimated 10,000 public preschools were open yesterday, or who was on hand to enforce safety regulations requiring the presence of two adults in a kindergarten class.