To samels001, I reckon the country is not bankrupt simply because school leavers can't get a job... Let's face it, the governments of the world are run by very corrupt and out of touch people. But that is probably another argument altogether...
Michael Gove was being obnoxious and trying to make it out that the caller was saying young children don't need to learn basics like reading and writing when in actual fact I believe the caller was saying that as children get a bit older (and can already read, write and do basic maths) they need to be able to make choices about what they desire to study, even if it isn't quantum physics or molecular biology. The trouble with schools is that due to the current system, great pressure is put on children to "perform" at a certain level so that the school appears to be successful, when in actual fact the job of the school is not to make sure each pupil "performs" above a certain academic level, but to ensure that each pupil is learning to the best of his or her ability as and when they are ready. The caller clearly stated at the beginning of the call that his child is in secondary education, so I think it is obvious that he was not talking about the issue of basics literacy and numeracy skills, but about how to enable a child to have a successful life in whatever field they choose. After all, a nation of happy workers must be more profitable than a nation of people working just hard enough to get paid. Schools, as the caller made brief mention of, have become rather like factories, attempting to churn out "successful" pupils, but forgetting completely that no two children are the same so this system will never work.