[mdp2021]

Yes. You wrote «discussing politics»: the expression leaves interpretation of "discussing politics with a skewed bias towards that discipline" - still research, investigation, inquire, study, learning -, it is not necessarily read as "doing politics" ("party taken, now let us be active, or loud, or hooligans").

Now: in theory, if your students spent time being loud instead of studying, that should reflect on the marks, should not it? They finally should not pass if doing politics replaced studying. But it is reported of prestigious Athenaeums in USA, and it is also seen and told in Europe, that the "feedback" from the institutions is being lower and lower: even the worse will get the degree. There are horror stories directly told by professors. So, there is a confirmed crisis in education.

But you want your citizens to be fully developed, not """able to count and unable to read""".