schooled in 1970-83...i have always wondered why i was unable to learn anything new beyond 7th grade.

Singapore is the gold standard for elementary education. No other country even comes close . Nordic nation test scores are plummeting due to immigration.

It's sad how so many countries treat education as an unproductive expense; fund it the same way; stress the need to constantly test and yet still be annoyed when their society doesn't function the way they want it to afterwards.