I'm of the opinion that the education system itself is one of the fundamental causes of the 13-20% that the author mentions.
Our school system is a factory that generates more of the tax generating working class that is told to shut up and do as their told. The kids are taught by age, not ability, they are taught to pass a test, not how to learn, they aren't taught life skills like personal finance, cooking, basic mechanical theory on how things work, and how to question authority and learn for themselves.
If they are not taught anything at all, then it's illegal.
"Now in the United Kingdom compulsory education begins between four and a half and five and a half; since 1972 it has ended at the age of 16. But from 2013 compulsory education, be it traditional classroom education or training is planned to be raised to the age of 17, and from 2015 to the age of 18." https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mandatory_edu...
> If they are not taught anything at all, then it's illegal.
Oh really?
> "Now in the United Kingdom compulsory education begins between four and a half and five and a half; since 1972 it has ended at the age of 16. But from 2013 compulsory education, be it traditional classroom education or training is planned to be raised to the age of 17, and from 2015 to the age of 18."
That's an attendance mandate, not an education mandate. "Taught" implies that they learned something.
Is there an education mandate in the UK? If so, who goes to jail if a kid doesn't learn "enough" during those years of compulsory education?
I think nazgulnarsil was talking figuratively rather than literally "nothing at all," meaning the children at poorer schools go to school and don't learn a great deal during their time there.
Our school system is a factory that generates more of the tax generating working class that is told to shut up and do as their told. The kids are taught by age, not ability, they are taught to pass a test, not how to learn, they aren't taught life skills like personal finance, cooking, basic mechanical theory on how things work, and how to question authority and learn for themselves.