Yet, eventually, they are going to be an adult who has to contend with issues of motivation and responsibility. If not during childhood, when would be the time to learn those skills? It seems like the stakes in childhood, both for the individual and for society, are lower and the consequences of failure less dramatic.
One of my kids learned at age 17, when he realized that adulthood was bearing down on him. Suddenly, the need for employable skills became much more real. Before that, it was a sort of far-off theoretical thing that didn't really count.
Learning by failure doesn't work with a kid who just doesn't care. Kids often don't see a reason to care because the future seems so distant. Flunking classes doesn't seem to change anything, and there doesn't seem to be a reward for passing classes. Video games are fun. YouTube has fail videos, cartoons, make-up tutorials, and so much more.
Somewhere around 1% of the kids can be responsible. Letting the rest go feral isn't proper parenting or school administration.