Problem with Public Education

Question: Does public education make a person reasonable? Does it help democracy?

Public education, as it stands now, is essentially mandated for all people below the age of 16. This means, simply, that people do not actively choose to go to school, and thereby they learn less because they have no interest in learning. Plato thinks that the problem with democracy is that often times people do not know what is best for them. In response to that, democratic countries have invoked public education. This, however, is not an admirable attempt. Attempting to force knowledge onto those who don't want it is essentially useless. Additionally, even if they did want it, the public education system is teaching students how to be a part of society, not how to change it, it's not teaching them how they should think about voting. In fact, it's not teaching them how to think at all, it teaches them what to think. The emphasis is on mathematics and history and science and job training.

I, personally, think that the public education system should be mandated from K - 4th grade, and then the students should be relieve until they want to come back. With that, I think that even post secondary education should be free, for those who want the knowledge, and not the job training. Mostly those who have continued their education of their own choice should hold voting power. Though I do think that a certain power should be granted to those who didn't choose education. The power of rebellion maybe...