"essential survival and life skills" change with the context. I might starve on my own trying to live in the Alps 5000 years ago but Ötzi wouldn't even know what to do with an ATM and would probably be rotting in confinement pretty quickly if he were thrust upon our world.

Some of school can be wasteful individually and much of that deals with the cookie-cutter social aspect - but isn't that it's strength too? Socialization? Is there really an escape from the grid today? Should we be taught how to build our own networks to each create our own digital world of one?

I love me some Rousseau myself but understanding more about the world behind and around us, even if divvied up and delivered arbitrarily, is only going to help people. Is the effort necessary for everyone? I'm not sure yet.

If your gripe is with mass compulsory education than we might have some common ground. Those Prussian workers and soldiers were severely needed, hence state investment, whereas now abundance and innovation are chipping away at that value.

BUT whatever conspirators, creators, or producers we aspire to be we're interdependent. There is no going back.