Question: Most Yeshivos (from 5th Grade-End of High school) Learn Talmud Bavli.

My question is: Why? What is the point of learning Talmud Bavli so extensively? 

I know that it is Hashem's Word, but there are a lot of other things to learn which are more useful (ex. Shulchan Aruch Harav where he gives the reasons (mostly from the talmud) and gives the halacha) and are Hashem's words? 

So why specifically learn Talmud Bavli? And why spend so much time on it? 

Indeed, there is a reason that we would not learn Talmud Bavli; that we know that the whole point of learning is actual performance of mitzvot, so Talmud seems ineffective vis-à-vis e.g. Shulchan Aruch Harav

Answer: 
The Gemara in [Kiddushin 30a](https://www.sefaria.org/Kiddushin.30a.9-10?lang=bi) says that one should divide his days into thirds, learning Chumash for one third, Mishnah for another third, and Gemara for the last third. I had heard that we learn Bavli so extensively because it fulfills all three requirements.
Talmudic style uses the Socratic method of learning, which is somewhat unique. First, it encourages students to learn from each other rather than from the teacher ("chevruta" style). Second, the style of learning in the Talmud is based on questions and answers - proofs and rebuttals - much like a debate. This style is unique to the Talmud. The Torah doesn't have debate, and Shulchan Aruch and Ramba"m, as examples, don't use this style either.

Gaining these two skills - cooperative learning as well as debative / "argumentative" logic is a critical skill in terms of learning. The first skill helps develop friendships and understanding how to deal with peers as well as a diverse audience. While I don't think the yeshiva's goal is directly to promote skills that will be useful in business, this skill does end up achieving this.

The discussion / argumentative skill is a "mixed" end-result. Understanding how to question and disect a problem is an important skill as it teaches you not to always take things at face-value but to research it. On the flip-side, I've also seen this skill be detrimental when teenagers use this style to debate parents' and elders' requests or when they over-analyze an issue that isn't or shouldn't be debated.