Srinagar, April 2 -- In almost every society, children grow up hearing the same formula for success: study hard, get good grades, secure a respectable job, work honestly, save a little, and one day life will reward you. It is a message repeated by parents, teachers, institutions, and even governments. On the surface, it sounds sensible. Education matters. Discipline matters. Honest work matters. But for millions of people, this formula produces survival, not wealth. It creates workers, not owners. It creates income, but not financial freedom.

That uncomfortable truth deserves public discussion.

The problem is not that schools teach the wrong things in every respect. Schools teach reading, writing, mathematics, science, and sometimes eve...