There is absolutely no doubt that education empowers a person.
It broadens his horizon of knowledge.
Education provides opportunity to look at the bigger picture of the society, the country the person lives and indeed the whole world.
Education gives a person ability to internalize knowledge from history geography literature science arts. It improves the power of reasoning to address everyday issues, problems and opportunities.
Literarcy is the common feature of all the developed countries regardless of the ideological and political orientations—-democracy, socialism, dictatorship, central planning, communism.
It is important to remember that the power gained from education can empower a person but he or she can use the power for the benefit of the country and society as also use it to oppress and exploit the ordinary people to build wealth and attain power.