The top thing the government can do for it's people is to keep them alive. (Free from invasion, murder, etc).
The second thing the government can do for it's people is to keep them healthy. Access to health care, etc. etc. More of an offshoot of above, but for things deeper than alive.
The third thing the government can do for it's people is to educate them. Not so that they can get "better jobs", but so they can be educated. The people around you vote just as much as you do. They decide the future of the country just as much as you do. Would you rather someone who never ever set foot in school helped elect your local government, or someone who has a PhD from a good college?
Kind of a hierarchy of needs.. education doesn't matter if you aren't safe.. but once you are safe, it seems very important. Not at ALL a 0 sum game. You don't educate to give people better jobs, but to enable them to think critically. Which is why 4 year colleges do a lot more for the world than coding boot camps or trade schools.