And it is superficially similar to the plot of the book Matilda by Roald Dahl, which makes me think that it is not a situation unique to grandparent poster.

We will probably never know the number of kids out there that never fulfill their intellectual potential because of envy, jealousy, spite, pettiness, avarice, bigotry, or other equally bad motives.

"Prevention of learning" just seems like one of those things that should be considered a crime, but is never punished with even so much as disapprobation.