Are our students so focussed on passing assessments that learning has little value to them?

"A book is a decoration, a door-stop, a paperweight. An idea is irrelevant. A thought is a distraction."
Do our students perceive education as a liberating, empowering process of unlocking their potential to be the best they can be? or....... is it merely an exercise in passing assessment after assessment to receive the 'magic' piece of paper that will allow them to continue on the education treadmill and/or become wage slaves?  Is there now an exam culture that discourages independence of thought and critical evaluation of the accepted theory and knowledge?
Now - I understand the original intention of this blog was to capture evidence of our achievements and successes in student engagement, but I feel that it should also be a forum for debate on issues relating to what is happening to education.   
 I invite comments, counter-arguments and free expression over the thing that combines us as a group - our commitment to the real value of education.  Je suis Charlie!