Nor around here when you're leaving primary school. So I assume it is a kind of hyperbole used by your parent. At the same time, however, not having any scientific literacy at all seems to be accepted or even glorifies in Western popular culture.

Then again, other troublesome behavior is quite accepted as well, like, for example drinking alcohol. How often haven't I heard a parent proudly tell that his or her child just had her/his first beer.

Some bad behavior seems just socially and culturally accepted. And changing culture is hard, so, even though there have been programmes stimulating STEM for decades now, there seem to almost no real improvement.