[sputnik]

i think the problem is that people in general value general knowledge a lot less than they used to. and that's reflected in schools (especially in the US), where they put more emphasis on stuff like standardised testing and more 'useful' things like science.
in my 4 years of high school, it wasn't just maths, chemistry and physics thate were compulsory, we also had 4 compulsory years of literature, history, art history and philosophy.
i think another problem is the way things are taught. in most systems, it seems like kids are just taught stuff to memorise, and not enough emphasis is put on teaching critical and analytical skills. when you're expected not just to rehash facts but to analyse them and write proper essays, stuff 'sticks' a lot more and you're less likely to forget it, even years later.