Explain why levels of education vary both in and between countries. (8)

One way education levels vary in and between countries is through designated levels of government spending. For instance, levels of government spending on education in France and the UK, two highly-developed European nations, varies greatly, with average spending in France double that of the highest spending in the UK (£15,000 per child compared to £7,500). From here, other factors such as wider economic capacity, rural disadvantage/urban advantage and access to services such as healthcare will all influence educational attainment.Countries' levels of education will also differ as a result of their varying development priorities. This is perhaps exemplified in the case of turning one's attention to a development initiative such as the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015). Bangladesh, for example, increased its primary and secondary education enrolment from 85% in 2000 to 97.7% in 2015.Finally, social factors within countries can influence education rates, and this issue is perhaps epitomised by the significant worldwide gender discrimination within the education system. 2/3 of the world's illiterate are female, as are 2/3 of the world's illiterate youth - and India, despite its status as one of the BRICS, is one of the worst offenders, with 27 million illiterate female youths alone. Gender has become an influential factor in educational attainment as the result o governmental social policy, systemic inequalities within societies, and poor gender equality records.