The problem begins and ends with the parents. I speak now as a university educator and I can tell you that the children of most asian ethnicities are not illiterate. Neither are the, and I hate to get into naming names, the children of at least two religious affiliations.

Why you might ask? Because the parents, for cultural reasons, make sure their children understand the importance of education and fill in the gaps.

Are there teachers that can't teach? Boatloads.
Are there teachers unqualified to teach? Boatloads.
It isn't stopping some identifiable groups.

That said both the nut-case left and the moronic right are to blame for polarizing, for political gain, that which is far too important to be left to politicians.

There was a great quote recently about the war in the Middle-East that went ... "The fighting will stop when they love their children more than they hate each other."

Here's my version:
Education will improve when parents love their children more than they hate paying taxes and getting involved in good governance.

DA Morgan