Blaming teachers is too easy.  Sure, the education system has lost the plot, but neither it nor individual teachers can solve this.  It is cultural, rather than pedagogical, and goes beyond 'teaching to the test' (which isn't all bad, if it helps develop mental discipline, as it does in many cases). Not that I have a solution.  But, as a university professor, I see potentially good students wasting their time by not applying themselves in a serious way to the mental tasks they are given.  Many smart kids just don't know what it means to spend time using their brains addressing challenging problems of various kinds.  A real shame.