Exams, memorization -- these are too common for most schools. Schools follow what was written on the book and teachers disseminate this information and check whether students have grasped the lesson. Do these hinder a student from learning the actual lesson? I think not. Exams improve discipline, as well as a student's critical thinking.

This is where internship will take role. For years, a student will experience heavy memorization and studying what seem to be trivial in the "real" world". However, the time will come when a student will be ready to apply what has been taught to him, by means of internship. It's the best way to gauge the student's grasp on the lessons taught to him.

Be it a boarding school or a university, a student should still learn to master what has been taught. Although some lessons and courses might not be useful when he graduates, still it's a practice of being critical and possessing knowledge on other things (History -- who would think this will be useful in the future?)

I agree with what a previous member said that no amount of knowledge is meaningless. It's just a matter of learning and thinking outside the box, right?