Building Grades Vs Character

When did grades for a schooling system, that's employee focused and out-dated, become more important for a parent than building a child's character?

Teach a child character and you teach him how to live successfully. Teach a child that grades are everything and he might end up cheating (since it's more important than character) to get them.

The person a child becomes is more important than the things he can memorize for a test.