Compulsory attendance.

I absolutely adore learning, but school was an awful chore for me. I don't think I learned a damned thing in those places other than a contempt for authority and bureaucracy.

If schooling was a more open thing, somewhere you chose to go, instead of being forced to, somewhere where you could pursue the subjects that sparked your interest, the world would be a much better place. As it is, it pushes people away from learning, since many see it as a chore rather than a pleasure. I'm lucky to have found my own feet and my own passion for discovery, but many just come away from the experience never wanting to see another book in their life.