Having a liberal arts understanding of the world is an important part of a person's balance and makeup, in addition to science, engineering and technology. In school I viewed any non-engineering course as a distraction that the system was imposing on me, but since then I've developed interests in history and architecture. Exposure to liberal arts is good, especially for developing an awareness that may spark an interest later. I would read in class when the teacher was writing another lesson. I had another book inside the book we were supposed to be studying.
Some kids have trouble reading, which has to be a big handicap for acquiring knowledge.
As a parent it's hard to fight that. Even if you want to develop a certain path for your children, you can't force them. But reading is very important. My son is an avid reader. We've started to read the newest Michael Crichton book aloud to each other.