No idea about how it was in other countries in the past, but post-soviet countries had soviet-style school for quite some time, and I can say that was one genuinely superior aspect from back then. Propaganda lessons aside (which were axed once Union toppled anyway), its style was aiming quite hard to get students to care about the subjects. It did come with two problems. One, it demanded passion and creativity for ALL subjects, your preferences be damned. Two, it was very subjective and depended on teachers and their own passion and biases. I was lucky to have pretty decent ones, but I've heard horror stories about them getting too high on self-importance. Still, it felt like a much more effective system for those who cared to study, compared to modern test-based one that feels extremely dry and prone to apathy on both sides in comparisson.

> Suggest "Do you think you can build a tower taller than miss Sakuya's mansion?"