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Anything but another strike By Haaretz Editorial Tags: budget, strike, university  The academic year, to begin on Sunday, is once again in jeopardy due to the risk of a strike. Negotiations with the Finance Ministry are bogged down, and university heads are threatening that without a considerable increase in funding, it will not be possible to hold the school year. We have had our fill of academic strikes after two years of them: first the students, fighting tuition hikes, and then the lecturers, seeking wage hikes. Now the debate is over additional funding recommended by the Shochat Committee. The university heads are demanding incremental payments of NIS 480 million as a condition for opening the school year, while the treasury is prepared to give NIS 370 million. The monetary gap is not great, but the gap is significant in its essence. The treasury wants all the money to go toward the goals set by the Shochat Committee, mainly encouraging excellence, while the university heads want to use the money as they please. Advertisement The Shochat Committee recommended that in order to stop Israel's brain drain, researchers who excel should be encouraged through wage increments and preferential conditions. Young scholars should be given incentives to bring them back from abroad, and that differential salaries are needed for these "stars." The committee also recommended strengthening research foundations and allocating funding among the universities according to quality, and not political power. Out of the NIS 480 million the universities want, their heads agree to allocate NIS 130 million to specific goals of upgrading quality and increasing the student body and filling the coffers of the budgetary pension. But they want the lion's share of the money, NIS 350 million, for their ongoing use without interference from the treasury. This is taxpayer money and it must be monitored. The public has full right to know where its taxes are going. Transparency is important to proper administration and public oversight. The university heads speak of research that is "in the process of dwindling" and the poor condition of laboratories, but they recently signed a wage agreement giving lecturers a steep 24 percent pay hike that will cost universities about half a billion shekels a year. Some of this money could go toward encouraging research and upgrading laboratories, but they preferred pay increases. The wage agreement even worsens the brain drain, because veteran lecturers made sure they get much more than the 24 percent in recognition of length of service, while the younger lecturers, who are being courted by universities abroad, will get less. Young lecturers have no length of service and a new wage agreement will not reward outstanding lecturers and prize-winners whose articles and research are quoted abroad. There is no argument about academia's great importance in our lives, its contribution to culture, society and the economy. And there's no argument that the situation of academia is not good. But besides additional funding, academia must undergo extensive reforms and streamlining, in the spirit of the Shochat Committee, to raise its quality and ensure public money reaches the right places. Progress toward this goal will require concessions from both sides. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Interview with a killer Yigal Amir describes how the idea to assassinate Yitzhak Rabin came about. Absentees for McCain Exit poll reveals U.S. absentee voters in Israel back McCain over Obama by 3-1.

Read & React Lieberman: Mubarak can 'go to hell'; Peres, Olmert apologize Responses: 152 Poll: Absentee voters in Israel back McCain over Obama by 3-1 Responses: 123 Meron Benvenisti: Peres Center training Palestinians to accept Jewish superiority Responses: 59 Barak cuts services to outposts in response to settler violence Responses: 77 Ari Shavit: The next government will not bring Israel to peace Responses: 52 More Headlines 02:33 Olmert intends to resume indirect talks with Syria 23:54 Report: Syria cuts diplomatic ties with Iraq over U.S. raid 02:16 UN watchdog: Iran holding secret tests to advance nuclear program 21:01 Survey: U.S. absentee voters in Israel back McCain over Obama by 3-1 22:41 Yigal Amir describes how idea to murder Rabin came about 00:15 Goering's grandniece seeks closure in Israel 03:20 Holocaust denier Irving reportedly considered for 'Celebrity Big Brother' 01:45 Government opposes law to fund therapy for child sex victims 18:23 Jewish delegate to Vatican: Pope ignored request to freeze Pius XII sainthood 20:44 UN Chief urges Hezbollah to turn from militia to political party 00:56 Hamas: Bomb explodes at Gaza police station, killing one 21:49 Police conclude Michael Fisher killed himself and his family 18:43 Israel sets Feburary 10 as date for general elections Previous Editions Select Day 30 oct 29 oct 28 oct 27 oct 26 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 20 oct 19 oct 17 oct

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