For me school is a routine habit carried out by children from the age of 5 years until he grows up. School is a means so that we can become quality human beings, useful for ourselves, family, environment, even for the country and nation. School is a place to seek knowledge such as reading, writing, counting.
Basic skills, yes. They are necessary for everybody, but I don`t think that it should take that much time - I believe it is possible to optimize education so it won`t take that much time.