If you had read the article in question you would see that there is much more depth and analysis and yes ideas for a possible change than your caricature.

As for your "kids in Africa", Illich talks much in this article about the young in Latin America and the damaging effects of compulsory education on those children. Please read.

But in case your too busy, I'll try and summarize:

You take your "kids in Africa", whom probably, as you state, all would "love" to attend American schools and believe the American dream.

Let's not forget that many of them would probably love to eat at MacDonalds every meal too, but that not necessarily the best thing either.

Now, what happens to the those kids that cannot pass 12 years of compulsory education (he only uses 4 in the Latin case, but your talking USA) and are now inside a system that requires passing those 12 years. They are now seen as failures and most will internalize that branding. Not nice.

The point I'm trying to make, is, yea, call many of the comments "not insightful", but unless you read the article in question, your only displaying flippant ignorance to call it out for lacking insight.