Question: When did education become free in the country which, along with the place most oil in America comes from, recognized Gaddafi's government at an early date?

gaddafi remained a controversial and divisive figure on the world stage throughout his life and after death. supporters praised gaddafi's administration for the creation of an almost classless society through domestic reform. they stress the regime's achievements in combating homelessness and ensuring access to food and safe drinking water. highlighting that under gaddafi, all libyans enjoyed free education to a university level, they point to the dramatic rise in literacy rates after the 1969 revolution. supporters have also applauded achievements in medical care, praising the universal free healthcare provided under the gaddafist administration, with diseases like cholera and typhoid being contained and life expectancy raised. biographers blundy and lycett believed that under the first decade of gaddafi's leadership, life for most libyans "undoubtedly changed for the better" as material conditions and wealth drastically improved, while libyan studies specialist lillian craig harris remarked that in the early years of his administration, libya's "national wealth and international influence soared, and its national standard of living has risen dramatically." such high standards declined during the 1980s, as a result of economic stagnation. gaddafi claimed that his jamahiriya was a "concrete utopia", and that he had been appointed by "popular assent", with some islamic supporters believing that he exhibited barakah. his opposition to western governments earned him the respect of many in the euro-american far right. <SEP> In May 2011, the country became a net exporter of refined petroleum products. As of 2014, the United States was the world's third - largest producer of crude oil, after Saudi Arabia and Russia. and second largest exporter of refined products, after Russia. In total energy consumption, the U.S. was between 86% and 91% self - sufficient in 2016. <SEP> After the 1969 coup, representatives of the Four Powers – France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union – were called to meet RCC representatives. The U.K. and U.S. quickly extended diplomatic recognition, hoping to secure the position of their military bases in Libya and fearing further instability. Hoping to ingratiate themselves with Gaddafi, in 1970 the U.S. informed him of at least one planned counter-coup. Such attempts to form a working relationship with the RCC failed; Gaddafi was determined to reassert national sovereignty and expunge what he described as foreign colonial and imperialist influences. His administration insisted that the U.S. and U.K. remove their military bases from Libya, with Gaddafi proclaiming that "the armed forces which rose to express the people's revolution [will not] tolerate living in their shacks while the bases of imperialism exist in Libyan territory." The British left in March and the Americans in June 1970. <SEP> The 1891 Elementary Education Act provided for the state payment of school fees up to ten shillings per head, making primary education effectively free. <SEP> new zealand polytechnics are established under the education act 1989 as amended, and are considered state-owned tertiary institutions along with universities, colleges of education, and wānanga; there is today often much crossover in courses and qualifications offered between all these types of tertiary education institutions. some have officially taken the title 'institute of technology' which is a term recognized in government strategies equal to that of the term 'polytechnic'. one has opted for the name 'universal college of learning' (ucol), and another 'unitec new zealand'. these are legal names but not recognized terms like 'polytechnic' or 'institute of technology'. many if not all now grant at least bachelor-level degrees.