This belief is a big part of why we have such a crisis of culture and politics today.
Education in civics and humanities are vital for understanding our culture, other cultures, ourselves, other people, our relations to them, and how best to participate in our society and government.
Education in practical skills—the kind that used to be taught in "home ec" courses—is vital for being able to navigate this world safely and effectively—things like how to make basic foods, how to balance finances, etc.
I agree that there's a lot of value in civics as you call it. I'm not saying it should be cut out.
But if it weren't for leaders, salespeople, and STEM, we'd still be throwing rocks at sabre-tooth tigers; naked, hungry, sick, and hoping for the best.
Nearly every good thing in our world exists because we invented it, or invented a way to use a natural thing. Everything in home ec and all of bookkeeping were created and spread by prime movers.
The past few centuries of economic growth were ushered in by the industrial revolution, a staggering increase in global wealth culminating with people so rich that they have time to question the value of STEM, and with so few problems that they think what we're living through right now qualifies as a political crisis.
This belief is a big part of why we have such a crisis of culture and politics today.
Education in civics and humanities are vital for understanding our culture, other cultures, ourselves, other people, our relations to them, and how best to participate in our society and government.
Education in practical skills—the kind that used to be taught in "home ec" courses—is vital for being able to navigate this world safely and effectively—things like how to make basic foods, how to balance finances, etc.