What would prioritizing education mean in Civilization? The game's model is fairly simple:

1. There are three resources: food, industrial production, and commercial activity;

2. As the player, you can divide commercial activity between three categories: research, state revenue, and local "luxuries", which in this context just means tax relief;

3. Scientific progress occurs when you've produced enough research to learn a new technology;

4. The only appearance of "education" anywhere in the game is that there is an expensive building called a "university" that increases local production of research. (The predecessor building with the same effect at a lower cost is the "library".)

On the other hand, "there is always division and infighting" is one of the most important and fundamental mechanics in the game; if your city grows beyond a quite small population cap, new citizens are automatically unhappy and will shut down the whole city unless pacified somehow.

I think you missed the point. I was pretty clear about not focusing on Civ specifically.