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JERUSALEM (JTA) — A new program in an Israeli school network will allow its students to graduate a year early if they agree to perform an extra year of community service or continue immediately to higher education.

The program by the Israel Sci-Tech Schools educational network adds an extra month to each school year beginning in 8th grade and covers all the same subject matter. The pilot program at two of the Sci-Tech schools will begin this school year, in cooperation with the Ministry of education.

This is a boon to its students who must serve in the Israeli military, allowing them an opportunity to perform a year of volunteer national service or get a head start on their higher education.

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“If we can ignite our students’ drive for improvement and social responsibility, and help them down a path where they can contribute to society at large, then everyone will benefit, including us,” Israel Sci-Tech Schools Director General Zvi Peleg said in a statement.

Sci-Tech is made up of 207 schools serving 100,000 students. The school prepares students for future careers in the high-tech Israeli economy and reaches out to potential students from disadvantaged and underserved social groups, such as haredi Orthodox and Bedouin communities.

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