In India it is slightly strange....If you score well in your school life, you can choose any major of your choice, Science, Commerce, Arts. If you don't, a subject like science is difficult to acquire admission in. Now even in college, for eg to enter medical college, we aren't learning anything of physics in medical college but you require to score really well in your physics section of the entrance exam too....I was maybe an above avg student, but I have realized one thing, sometimes you have to work on something you don't like so that you can do what you do like.

So, in basic education, you may not like all subjects, but it pays in life to have a basic understanding of all...eg: Science is all around you, so is Geography, History is imp to know though we didn't realize it then and some mathematics is needed in daily life too. We didn't bother much about art then , but here I am scribbling away because it makes me happy.