There are more than enough problems affecting children, particularly educational under-achievement, bullying, drugs and crime, without deliberately adding more.
Mr Gove made his comments at an event to mark the launch of a book on under-achievement in England's schools.
Such under-achievement after a flying start hinted at rumours that Mr Kennedy's relaxed style and lax time-keeping in reality proved he was simply lazy.
Under the scheme, staff from the Science Museum will visit Prince's Trust clubs in schools to work with young people at risk of exclusion and under-achievement.
Ofsted has been campaigning for schools to make more use of whole-class teaching, whose neglect it regards as one of the reasons for under-achievement in other subjects.
Experts at the National Antisocial Behaviour Clinic based at London's Maudsley Hospital draw a direct line between poor parenting and a range of social problems including educational under-achievement, criminality and drug misuse.
Under-achievement is seen at primary school, where national tests in maths and English show both groups are less likely than others to reach the expected level, and continues up to GCSE level and beyond.
Now aged 54 and married with a child, he said he did not connect his experiences at school with years of under-achievement at work, a failed marriage and binge-drinking until he had therapy after a breakdown in April 2005.
But, for the time being at least, there seems to be a realisation that, in spite of the progress made in improving schools over recent years, drastic measures are still needed to root out the significant pockets of under-achievement that remain.
It total, 80% of teachers surveyed said they believed poverty had a negative impact on pupils' attainment - with problems including under-achievement, not having a quiet place to study at home, inability to concentrate and lack of access to computers and the internet.
Despite all the turmoil around him, despite a declining majority, Mr Major went to the European Union and negotiated the British opt-out from the euro, a substantial and perhaps under-appreciated achievement that has had a huge impact on Britain in subsequent years.
But the greatest achievement has perhaps been under-estimated.
As a result of poor school achievement, African-Caribbean students are under-represented in scientific careers.
Under the pay reforms proposed in the government's Green Paper, successful teachers and schools would receive achievement-related payments, with an appraisal system determining whether teachers merit an extra increase in salary.
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