The real waste of potential starts early on.  Young children are naturally curious and ask endless questions in an attempt to make sense of the world into which they have been brought. Yet, at the age of five, or thereabouts, we send them to a building called school, where they are told "Don't ask questions about those things you are interested in, and instead be interested in these things".  Curiosity is killed stone dead and replaced with a stream of information which is of little or no interest to the child and is usually conveyed in a tedious way.

Why don't we get real and feed off the children's initial curiosity?  Make school far more flexible and so encouraging of their curiosity that learning becomes a pleasure not a grind.

A wise man once said "I can command your attention, but not your interest".  Motivation is a room locked from the inside.  One can create an environment in which you might be interested enough to open the door, but true motivation always comes from within you.

This is why the title 'compulsory education' is a contradiction in terms.  No one can be compelled to learn anything.

I heard a story years ago of a boy who hardly ever went to school, truanting persistently.  At the age of 15, he suddenly decided that he wanted to be an engineer.  It was pointed out to him that he would have to study and excel in mathematics, physics etc. and then pass exams to enter university.  That boy became an engineer - only one year later than he would have if he had followed the 'normal' school path.  The point of the story is clear - if you are really driven, motivated to do something, you can achieve it in record time.  Truancy is an issue I shall discuss in another post.  Isn't that exciting?