Israel has plenty to teach the world

This year's theme is integration of technological innovations into education systems worldwide to upgrade the students' learning experience. "Technology is a means to an end, yet can never substitute a great teacher," Bennett told i24news, adding he found the convention "inspiring." He said it impelled him to think of how to "cut down on bureaucracy, put a greater trust in the teachers and principles. We must trust our teachers and give them a greater autonomy. There's much we can learn in this regard from countries such as Finland and South Korea."

Bennett added Israel is "way behind" when it comes to vocational schools, saying he wishes to see such institutions in the Israeli educational system. "We have to provide Israeli children with a good opportunity to succeed in life," Bennett said, pointing out that a greater proportion of students were opting to take the highest level mathematics matriculation exam.

Figures released by the Education ministry indicate that Israeli students’ performance in matriculation exams in 2010-2014 reflects a diminishing proficiency in reading and writing. Asked about how his statement that "Judaism is more important than sciences" meshes with the declared emphasis on academic excellence, Bennett said that "as a Jewish State we need good Jewish and Zionist values, but we also need strong math, sciences and English. There's no contradiction between the two."

The official also pointed out an uptick in ultra-Orthodox school adopting the core curriculum, including math and English. He said he believes Israel has a great deal to teach other countries, firstly in the field of "informal education," including youth movements, military academies and other institutions inculcating youths with values including leadership.