I once very nearly failed a physics exam because I got stuck in the middle of the proof for e=mc².  In practice I could do it in 15 minutes so it was a sure winner if it came up in the exam as you were guaranteed 100% if you got it right, and were allowed 30 Minutes per question in the exam.  However I hadn't fully understood the reasoning and spent 90 minutes in the exam trying to figure it out - and didn't.

So yes, memorising is important for simple things.  But it breaks down beyond that.  I eventually left college level Maths because the Professor spent several hours proving 1+1=2 and in the process seemed to make so many assumptions I was happier to just assume 1+1=2.  I had difficulty with college level physics in general because I was often not happy I understood or could justify some of the assumptions being made, and therefor never got beyond square 1 of the proof or argument being made.  The essence always seemed to reside in the assumptions.

I ended up graduating in Social Science (sociology/politics) where greater questioning was encouraged.

I think there are different learning styles and one size doesn't fit all - either for the students or for the subject matter.  Education is a mix of facts and critical analysis, of assimilation and of improving our critical faculties analysing what is to be assimulated.  You cannot have one without the other.

Those who favour the "facts only" approach usually want dubious facts to be accepted uncritically.  Those who want critical analysis only sometimes betray a distain for practical subjects or the less gifted students who have to get by on what facts they can pick up.  A good deal of pragmatism and respect for the diversity of students, ways of learning, ways of thinking, and the requirements of a basic mastery of a subject are required.

I don't have a problem with accountability in education per se - every use of public resources needs to be evaluated for efficiency, value for money, and appropriateness in relation to agreed goals.  It is the goals and metrics used that I generally have a problem with.  So much of human development cannot be measured at all - or at least only obliquely.  

Sometimes you have to trust the students and their judgment as to what works for them.  That is the real problem with authoritarian systems.  They do not want to create fully human people at all - they want to create disciplined workers, soldiers, voters and consumers who will all do what they are told and accept advertising and political messages uncritically.  

In that sense a good educational system is always somewhat subversive because it is about creating something new - a younger generation with a more advanced knowledge base than their parents.  They are thus both a threat to and an opportunity for society.

notes from no w here