The continually declining number of teachers may not only endanger the amount of knowledge humanity retains, but the way we retain it. Originally made to teach citizens how to learn, the average school has turned into a place where many have knowledge forcibly crammed into their skull. As a result it slowly leaks out over time (short or long). Teaching adults, kids, or seniors this way will most likely end in frustration.
Guiding people to the answer through related questions is the key to teaching one how to learn. Just like a dog; if you put a treat under a bucket and guide him to it without showing it he will smell it and most likely find it. The next time the dog will find the treat faster having already found it with help. Soon he may not even need help. Any time the bucket is turned over the dog will assume a treat lies beneath. In the same way if a child wants to solve a math problem and you guide him/her to the answer without revealing it, they will most likely come forward with the answer.
Ultimately coming to conclusions on your own is how a person learns. If one is very perceptive, they may be able to even learn from another mistake. Many are not able to do this and instead wait for events to happen to them. As teachers disappear we may start to revert to this stage, some may even start to refuse to learn. This of course will lead to bad behaviors or attitudes, In turn this will affect our nations progression as a whole.

Giving kids (or people in general) the ability to learn may be the single most important thing if we want a hopefully future. Without it your kid may be one of those annoying attendants that give no help what so ever and give directions to call another department instead of dealing with it themselves (when they can)

What is most funny is this is treated as new information! Why must we as a society reinform us of obvious things!