Although you do learn, the primary goal is not to learn, but to get the grade and graduate.

Academic education is important. If you want to become an engineer, then you better know your calculus. If not, simple arithmetic will help you pay the correct amount of taxes. History textbooks may spin the facts to their twisted desire, but they don't lie. I don't know what you mean by "the natural way", but the systemically rigid process of forming a hypothesis, conducting a controlled experiment, and evaluating the results proves its own legitimacy. You may not need all the subjects you learn, but you will definitely need them, even to sustain casual conversations with your buddies.

In the end, it really is all about money. People need money to buy food and pay the bills. The current state of the economy makes it difficult to find jobs. It is about money, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're blinded by greed.

Perhaps you mean that our high school education system is retarded, not the education itself?