Mike Huckabee, a Republican and former governor of Arkansas, told an audience at the University of Northern Iowa yesterday that one of the biggest problems with America’s education system is that it bores students, according to The Des Moines Register.

At the university’s forum on education, the former governor also reiterated his support for putting a greater emphasis on arts and music education.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that we were behind other countries in math and science, and we’ve changed requirements,” Mr. Huckabee was quoted as saying. “We’ve done so at the expense of music and art, and in doing so we’ve made a huge, stupid mistake.”

Among his other education proposals, Mr. Huckabee advocated providing federal financial benefits for college students who plan to pursue careers in national service that would be similar to the educational benefits provided to military personnel.

John Edwards, a Democrat and former U.S. senator from North Carolina, appeared at the university as part of the same education forum series on Sunday. He used his platform to take a swipe at President Bush’s record on education.