Hard earned prosperity leads to educating people and this comes from the creation of jobs. There are so many examples abounding.
There are countries that have very educated people but are poor. The Philippines, India, many former soviet countries. Then there are very rich countries that have poorly educated people even though they are prosperous. The United States, Saudi Arabia and others.
I premise that the wealth of these countries came from two things. Resources and hard work. In the US it was the struggle to earn a living and having adequate resources. In Saudi Arabia it was primarily resources and the hard work of others and their ability to survive in the past under very extreme conditions. The settlers in the New World struggled.
So where does education come from. Well I believe that those who struggle want their children to have a better life and they believe that this will come through education. They somehow felt that because they did not have an education that they were disadvantaged. They noted that wealth people educated their children and spent heavily on nurturing them in this regard.
What they didn't understand is that education was a way to differentiate oneself from others. This education allowed the creation of and elevated class. When there is nothing else one can be distinguished by his/her education. The props alone alone would not be enough. There is something about speech and understanding that leads people to believe they are superior.
The hard earned prosperity of the previous generations allowed the wealth to spend on this education. This is why even in education there are so called "Ivy League" institutions. A must go for wealth people.
As for countries and cultures when there are resources to exploit and the resulting earnings reach the poor, then there is the instinct for people to invest into education for their children. In countries where there is exploitation and educational programs but not wealth reaches the poor, then the poor people of these countries remain poor in spite of their education.
Jobs/employment allow a person to accumulate wealth during their life time create the need for education. It is important that the job or employment is competitive and has a certain level of difficulty. The feeling of competition and hard work creates the best atmosphere for the wage or salary earner to think about the future of their children in a way that they will make substantial sacrifices to provide them with a competitive advantage. It is a common feeling amongst this workforce that if their children had a better education then they would not have to suffer or struggle as much.
More often than not the subsequent generations of children who are educated and lead a somewhat comfortable life without struggle end up not being prosperous as much as their immediate ancestors.
China is a prime example of where this struggle will play out. The average Chinese worker really struggles to make ends meet and works hard. Those that succeed somewhat will surely invest in their child's education thinking that as they see the higher education of the children of more wealthy, that this is the right direction to go. This creates the perfect medium for education to flourish.
What worries most western countries about emerging countries is not their wealth but the fact that they have so many people who are willing to sacrifice to provide a better way of life for their children, and this will translate into a powerful and aggressive economy.
Western countries are more fearful of the lethargic nature of their population which has resulted from success than what their nation competitors are achieving.
So I believe that the drive for better education is a symptom of what they believe was the causal effect of prosperity. Actually it is the ability to have a job that is not easy, but somewhat rewarding that will lead to a resurgence in education and not the other way around.
