I would frequently tell my students (public or private) that they should tell their parents to start a class-action suit against the school system for requiring them to take advanced math classes without a sufficient level of numeracy to know how many times 6 goes in 18 (true story).
“Our golden Road to Illiteracy” Regna Lee Wood, National Review, Oct. 18, 1993 p.56
In 1930, 80 per cent of blacks over age 14 could read. In 1990, 56 per cent of blacks over age 14 could read.
As more and more money is spent on education, illiteracy is increasing. And I wouldnt be at all surprised if it didnt end up with virtually the whole revenue of the western countries being spent on education, and a condition of almost total illiteracy resulting therefrom. - Malcolm Muggeridge