Keren Kagan 

 A Learning and Social Support Center

Who are we?

Keren Kagan was set up in 1968 to fund the Kagan Learning and Social Support Center – KLASS. An after-school learning center for children of all ages, KLASS is situated in the Katamon Tet district of Jerusalem, which has housed successive waves of immigrants of limited means and education.

What are our aims?

To prevent children dropping out of school and normative society, and to give them a chance of attaining a matriculation certificate and going on to higher education or further training.

Who are our clients?

Schoolchildren from the district who need help and attention that neither the schools nor the families are able to give – the schools don’t have the necessary manpower or budgets, and the families don’t have the money or the skills needed to help their children gain the education essential to survive, let alone flourish, in the 21st century.

You can help us!

The large number of students coming to KLASS – a hundred every year – is a clear indication of how essential a role it plays in the community. There is a serious need to increase the number of remedial and subject teachers in order to cater to the demand. We also need to upgrade our equipment, in particular adding computers and our own printer, as this will enable us to streamline our work and enhance students’ achievements.

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Some facts and figures about KLASS

Located in the Kagan Community Center in Katamon Tet, KLASS is open 5 afternoons a week, 11 months of the year.

KLASS caters every year to some 100 pupils who come from once to five times a week. About half are of elementary school age, the remainder being middle and high school students.

In addition to help with homework, over 70 hours of individual tutoring are given each week in English, mathematics and Hebrew language/reading comprehension. To encourage commitment and perseverance, students receiving private lessons pay a small amount on a sliding scale of ILS 12.50 – 50.00 per lesson, in accordance with the family’s financial circumstances.

Last year all the elementary school students and 24 of the older ones took advantage of these private lessons during the year. Some 81% of the lessons are given to children from families who made aliya from Ethiopia. All of these pay the minimum fee, others are required to bring documentation from the welfare services to help determine a suitable fee and in the last school year only five students paid the full ILS 50. 

In addition to the instruction we provide, we try to help KLASS students attend other local classes to develop skills such as painting, music and dance.