The importance of a broad education is nowhere near that of freedom within education. People fail to recognize harsh graduation and entry requirements as a form of discrimination. Students who have already chosen an interest are not given the freedom to use their time to pursue their educational goals. Instead they are faced with a series of unquestionable requirements which may ultimately become an obstacle to their career which will never be passed.
A student who fails, history as an example, should not be barred from graduation, but instead barred from a career as a historian. I realize this challenges many recent educational traditions, but when the good of the student is examined, a do or die ultimatum is in no way in their interest, nor does it represent an attitude of freedom.