This has to be one of the sillier sayings in education.  I have yet to come across anyone who did not want to learn ... they may not want to learn what the syllabus says they should.  They may not want to learn it at the time we teachers say.  They may not want to learn it in the way it is being presented, but all of these hurdles are also part of the learning process.

Children have a natural curiosity.  They explore, they try "silly" things to see what happens and they push the boundaries to see where they are.  This willingness to learn is not lost, but it may be mislaid by a curriculum that is "boring" ...  and boring is the term we use when we feel we have been there before.

The challenge of education is to is to make new connections for our pupils and students.  The conventional system of "Miss" or "Sir" knowing best is guaranteed to enhance boredom.  However, if the learner can have control over their progress then more will be achieved.  "Miss" or "Sir" should have a motivation, guidance and monitoring role.

Breaking the curriculum into small pieces will allow quick gratification (classical conditioning rather than operant conditioning).  There are few sticks and lots of carrots.  Allowing pupils to select their next goal, giving them the responsibility of achieving it, whilst monitoring progress is more likely to encourage drinking than the current system.  If these academic achievements are overlaid by the current qualifications then teachers can guide and help rather than cajole and bully.

This will not eliminate boredom, but it will minimise it because all horses want to drink at some time.