In a debate over Israel’s budget for 2013, Chetboun voiced his concern about the erosion of values in the country’s schools.
“Teachers are afraid to talk about Zionism, about tradition and love of the homeland. It’s not fashionable,” Chetboun said, according to Israel National News.
There is currently a campaign to have all state-funded schools provide a secular “core curriculum,” according to the aforementioned report, but Chetboun said such curricular emphasis should be questioned.
“The formula is simple, whoever does not teach English, physics and math will not get funding, because he is not teaching core values. Are these the nation of Israel’s core subjects?” Chetboun asked, Israel National News reported.
“Jewish values, the Torah, these are core subjects, the heart of the nation of Israel,’ he answered to his own question. “Otherwise what are we doing here, instead of in Uganda?”
“A country that denies its source loses itself,” he further cautioned, according to the aforementioned report.