maybe it's the cultural decay of the roman empire :D (or, no that was later^^)

when a boy comes of age i either send him to sparta, Athens, Rhodos or Demetrias(where i had time and money to invest in Schools), to get him a proper education and to ensure him getting at least some elite troops. Only exeption is when he comes of age too far away fronm greece and too far away from the coast.
and having stupid FMs is not as bad if you aslo have some smart ones to govern cities and youre bodyguard is at least usefull(i mean, a bunch of elite Hoplites which don't have to be brought to a high level MIC is more than usefull^^)