While there’s no reasonable way to disagree with the sentiment, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who can “think and decompose problems” who isn’t also widely read, and knows a lot of things.

Forcing kids to sit and memorize facts isn’t suddenly going to make them a better thinker, but much of my process of being a better thinker is something akin to sitting around and memorizing facts. (With a healthy dose of interacting substantively and curiously with said facts)