Minister Akunis: We encourage the next generation of students and researchers
With the opening of the academic school year, the Ministry of Science and Technology launches the mentoring program for science studies, which this year records a new record in the amount to be distributed to students: more than 15 million shekels compared to 5 million shekels last year. The planned budget is intended for more than 1,500 students who will receive an annual scholarship of NIS 9,000, an increase of about NIS 2,000 per scholarship compared to last year, in exchange for mentoring high school students in the various fields of science.
Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis said that "the ministry's mentoring program allows talented students to receive support from the Ministry of Science and invest in mentoring high school students who are the reserve of the students of the State of Israel. Through the program, we encourage the next generation of researchers and the next generation of students. We are a powerhouse of science and our job is to take care of preserving the situation and strengthening it."
The mentoring program is designed to make science studies accessible and stronger among the youth, especially in the periphery and among populations of low socio-economic status. As part of the program, middle school and high school students receive personal tutoring from second-year students with a bachelor's degree or higher, in the fields of exact sciences such as chemistry, physics, computer science, mathematics, biology, as well as in English.
The students undergo appropriate training as well as accompaniment by the academic institution where they study and are required to complete 120 hours of mentoring during the year. Among the institutions participating in the program: the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Ariel University in Samaria, Sapir Academic College, Lev Academic Center, Al Qasami Academy, the Sami Shimon SCE Academic College of Engineering, and more.
