What is the goal of education?

[hmkpoker]

As it stands, we spend five figures a year for every child to go to school for seven hours a day, 180 days a year, for twelve years straight. The children obviously do not enjoy this; school is very stressful, and given the choice any kid would prefer to play hooky and have the day off. Public schooling does not prepare children for any career. A literate person with an easily-acquired GED has the same job opportunities as someone who went through twelve years of high school (and almost as many as someone with a BA).

What exactly is the goal of education?

Basic literacy and math skills? Would that mean that if someone can demonstrate that he has a functional vocabulary and the requisite math and logic skills needed to make a living, that his objective in schooling should be considered fulfilled and that he shouldn't have to go through anymore?

Is it social skills? Wouldn't it be better to just let kids hang out together for a couple hours a day rather than having them all sit in desks telling them to shut up when they interact?

Do the foreign language, science, history and literature programs actually accomplish anything, considering that the vast majority of the subject material has nothing to do with the student's career or interests, and they just forget it anyway?

Is there any evidence that geometry and calculus, which are taught through the memorization of rote formulas, actually stimulate any kind of intellectual growth? Could the same not be fostered through other, more fun means like logic puzzles and strategy games?

What is the goal of education?