“Ignorance is the opiate of the poor”, Is it true?

In today’s world, If the poor still remain ignorant about the true nature of their status, then the gap between the poor and rich will be widened. This mean the poor becomes poorer and the rich becomes richer.

I believe that educating the poor and giving them proper education will alleviate their plight.  I know a friend of mine during my college days and he was born from a poor family. He had only a mother, a laundry woman, to support him. He knows that proper education was the only way out of poverty so he pursued his dream and finished his study. Now he is successful in his career and living a comfortable life that totally different from his life many years ago.

Any one of you have the same experience to share?