History of Education.| Importance of Education.

History of Education.

Education in early civilized and prehistoric cultures.

Ancient and primitive civilizations.

Primitive cultures can only be described as being educated in the sense of enculturation, or the process of passing down culture. A primitive person, whose culture constitutes the entirety of his universe, has a fairly firm sense of cultural continuity and timelessness. It is passed down from generation to generation with little variation since the paradigm of existence is largely absolute and static. When it comes to prehistoric education, we can only extrapolate from the educational methods of the surviving primitive tribes.

In order to help youngsters become good members of their tribe or band, primitive education serves this objective. Since the development of individuals as tribal members and the comprehensive understanding of their way of life during the transition from prepuberty to post puberty are of great importance to primitive people, there is a noticeable focus placed on training for citizenship.

It is challenging to pinpoint any standardized or consistent features of pre-pubescent schooling because to the diversity found throughout the limitless numbers of primitive societies. Nevertheless, certain customs are shared by all cultures. Children truly take part in adult social interactions, and they learn by participation in activities that are based on what Margaret Mead, an American anthropologist, called empathy, identification, and imitation. Primitive kids learn by doing and seeing fundamental technical procedures before they reach adolescence. Their instructors are members of their own neighborhood, not strangers.

Post puberty education is strictly regimented and regulated in some societies, as opposed to the impromptu and mostly unregulated imitations in prepubescent schooling. Even though they are his cousins in other clans, the teaching staff may be fully initiated males who are frequently unknown to the initiate. The initiate can be abruptly removed from his family group and sent to a remote camp where he meets other initiates at the start of the initiation. This separation serves to divert the initiate's strong commitment to his family and to help him find his emotional and social anchor in the larger framework of his culture.

Practical subjects are typically absent from the introductory "curriculum". Rather, it is made up of a wide range of cultural ideals, tribal religion, myths, philosophies, histories, rituals, and other knowledge. The body of knowledge that makes up the initiation curriculum is seen by certain primitive people as being crucial to their tribe membership. This crucial curriculum places the highest emphasis on religious education.

Early civilizations had a system of education.

Egypt, Mesopotamia, and North China's Old World civilizations.

The Middle East saw the beginning of civilization around 3000 BCE, while North China saw its civilization start approximately a millennium and a half later. In the early stages of civilisation, Mesopotamia and Egypt both saw periods of rapid growth (3000–1500 BCE). The monumental literary accomplishments of these civilizations were shared despite their differences. The requirement for the continuation of these highly advanced civilizations made writing and formal education essential.

Egypt

The priests, a dominant intellectual elite in the Egyptian theocracy who also acted as political bulwarks by opposing cultural variety, were primarily responsible for maintaining and controlling Egyptian culture and education. Priests who taught in formal schools were in charge of teaching both the humanities and more practical disciplines like science, medicine, math, and geometry. Vocational knowledge in professions like building, engineering, and sculpting was typically passed down outside of the official educational setting.

Under the direction of priests and government officials, the Egyptians established two distinct formal schools for affluent children: one for scribes and the other for future priests. Beginning at age 5, students enrolled in the writing program studied reading and writing until they were 16 or 17. The schoolboys received additional practical training in the workplaces for which they were being prepared when they were 13 or 14 years old. Boys began attending the temple college at the age of 17, where priesthood training began. The period of training varied depending on the requirements for different priestly offices. It is unclear if the practical sciences were included in the temple college's carefully planned curriculum or not.

Since it was completely forbidden to deviate from the conventional way of thinking, rigid technique and severe discipline were used to achieve homogeneity in cultural transmission. The usual techniques were drill and memorizing. However, as was already mentioned, the final stage of scribe training in Egypt also included work-study.

Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia, which developed during the same period as Egyptian civilization, produced a system of education that, in terms of its goals and training, is very similar to that of its counterpart. Training for scribes and priests was the goal of formal education. Higher learning in astrology, law, and other specialized fields of medicine was added to the fundamentals of reading, writing, and religion. Children from the upper classes were typically trained to work as scribes, which included copyists, librarians, and teachers. As numerous as temples, it was claimed, were the schools for priests. This proves the excellence and thoroughness of priestly education. The development of the priestly work, however, provides insight into the vast nature of intellectual endeavor, which is a subject about which very little is understood.

Similar to Egypt, priests in Mesopotamia controlled both the applied and theoretical fields of knowledge. The library served as the hub of education and intellectual pursuits and was typically located in a temple under the direction of powerful priests. Memorization, spoken repetition, copying from models, and individualized instruction were all used as teaching and learning techniques. It is thought that the most difficult and taxing task—exactly reproducing scripts—was what measured learning proficiency. The educational process was drawn out and demanding, and punishments were severe.

North China.

Complex educational procedures were in place very early in North China, whose civilization started with the rise of the Shang era. In actuality, a large deal of the foundations for the development of contemporary Chinese characters were already in place more than 3,000 years ago.

Ancient Chinese formal education stood out for having a distinctly moral and secular nature. Its main goal was to instill a sense of moral responsibility and sensitivity toward other individuals and the state. Harmonious interpersonal relationships, rituals, and music were part of the curriculum even in the earliest stages of civilization.

At least in the imperial capitals, formal colleges and schools predate the Zhou dynasty of the first millennium BCE. Local states likely had less structured educational facilities such study halls, village schools, and district schools. Regarding actual educational techniques, the ancient Chinese learned through bamboo books and received moral instruction and ritual practice through oral tradition and personal example. It appears that the rigid rote learning that characterized later Chinese schooling was highly despised. Education was seen as a means of fostering internal personal growth.

The cultures of the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas in the New World.

Pre-Columbian civilizations' impressive cultural accomplishments are frequently contrasted with those of Old World civilizations. For instance, the ancient Mayan calendar, which was more accurate than the Julian calendar used in Europe, was a major achievement that showed how well-versed the Maya were in astronomy and mathematics. The creation of the intricate Mayan writing system, the majestic Aztec structures, the intricacy of the Inca calendar and their highway building are all equally astounding. It is unfortunate that research on education among the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas has been limited by archaeological discoveries and written records. However, it is clear from the texts that are currently in existence that these pre-Columbian cultures created formal education in order to instruct the nobility and priests. Cultural preservation, career preparation, moral and character development, and the prevention of cultural deviation were the main goals of education.

In Maya.

As a deeply religious people, the Maya saw the priesthood as having a major impact on the evolution of their civilization. Tremendous priests were important advisors to the kings and aristocracy because of their broad knowledge, literacy abilities, and leadership in religion and morality. Priests earned high respect as a result. The trainee was required to complete a rigorous education in the school where priests taught history, writing, divination techniques, medicine, and the calendar system in order to gain a priesthood, which was typically inherited from his father or another close relative.

One of the key components of Mayan education was character development. At various phases of socialization as well as on numerous dates of religious festivals, a strong emphasis was placed on teaching self-control, teamwork, and moderation. The prospective priest put himself through a protracted period of chastity and abstinence to learn self-discipline, and he worked in groups to learn community loyalty.

Aztec people.

Cultural transmission and rote memory of significant occasions, calendrical data, and religious knowledge were essential methods used by the Aztecs to preserve their heritage. Education was under the supervision of priests and high-ranking elders known as conservators. He took the utmost care when teaching poetry, especially holy melodies, because one of the conservator's crucial duties was to censor new poems and songs.

Mexico's history as well as the material from the historical codices were methodically taught in the calmecac, a school for native learners where apprenticeships began at the age of ten. The calmecac was particularly important in assuring oral history transmission through oratory, poetry, and music, which were used to facilitate accurate recall of events and to jog memory. Simple graphic representations were utilized as visual aids to help with the recitation stages, to keep the audience interested, and to help students understand dates and data better.

"The Incas".

As far as is known, the Incas had no written or recorded language. They also heavily relied on oral transmission to maintain the preservation of their civilization, just like the Aztecs did. Education during the Inca period was divided into two distinct categories: highly formalized training for the nobles and vocational education for common Incas. The Inca Empire had a theocratic, imperial administration built on agrarian collectivism, therefore the aristocrats were worried about preparing men and women for careers in communal agriculture. Life, labor, and personal liberty were all subordinate to the society. Every person's position in society was predetermined at birth. At age five, every child was brought under the government's control, and his socialization and occupational training were overseen by government surrogates.

The curriculum and ceremonies for the four-year program that made up noble education were well-defined. The first year of school was spent teaching the students the noble language of Quechua. The second year was spent studying religion, and the third year was spent studying the quip (khipu), a sophisticated system of knotted colored ropes or strings that is mostly used for accounting. With extra education in physics, geometry, geography, and astronomy, the study of history received primary priority in the fourth year. The lecturers were renowned amautas, or encyclopedic scholars. For the students to fully qualify for status in the Inca nobility's way of life after completing this education, they had to successfully complete a series of demanding exams.

Types of Education.

Within academia, "education" is a recognized subfield of scholarship. Focused on in education research include informal, non-formal, and formal modes of instruction and learning.

Informal Education.

Outside of any official institutional environment, informal education refers to unstructured teaching and learning events that take place in our daily lives (such as schools). Examples include learning to ride a bike, engaging in a favorite hobby, and reading a book for personal enjoyment.

Non-Formal Education.

When we talk about non-formal education, we mean learning and teaching experiences that have some structure but are not as sophisticated institutionally as formal education. Swimming lessons, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, and non-credit courses are a few examples.

Formal Education.

Formal education is a term used to describe structured teaching and learning activities that take place inside of educational institutions and result in some sort of accreditation (e.g., a high school diploma or university degree).

Importance of Education in our daily life.

A person's education is a crucial aspect of their life. The secret to future success and having a lot of opportunities in life is it. For people, education has many benefits. For instance, it clarifies one's thoughts and perceptions. Graduating from college enables students to pursue higher education or make plans for the workforce. Education in a subject area enables people to think, feel, and act in a way that supports their success and raises both their level of personal happiness and that of their community. Education also helps people develop their personalities, ideas, and social abilities. It also gets people ready for experiences in life. People that possess it have a distinct standing both within and outside of their own community. Everyone has a right to education "from cradle to death," in my opinion. Having an education has several advantages, including having a successful career, enjoying excellent social standing, and feeling confident.

First and foremost, education gives us the opportunity to have a successful profession. There are many opportunities for us to work at whatever place we want. It increases the likelihood of obtaining better and simpler employment. Our chances in life are higher the more educated we are. Additionally, education sharpens our minds, supports our ideas, and bolsters our moral fiber and interpersonal behaviors. It provides us with knowledge in a variety of subjects in general and our area of expertise in particular, particularly what we must learn for our professional careers. Therefore, without education, we may not be able to live healthily or have a respectable career.

Additionally, knowledge elevates our social prestige. We are regarded as a vital source of knowledge for our society because we are educated individuals. Education enables us to impart to others the morals, manners, and ethical principles they need. People interact with us in a significant and unique way as a result of our productivity and creativity. Additionally, education makes us societal role models when our people look to us to show them the proper path and make good decisions. As a result, it is an honor for us to support the development of our community. To aid our people and create a good society, education is actually a benefit.

Additionally, it is commonly recognized that education is the primary source of self-confidence. Being confident in ourselves has many benefits and contributes to our success in life. For instance, it aids in task management, overcoming obstacles, and maintaining optimistic attitudes. Additionally, a good education usually serves as the foundation for self-confidence, paving the way for our achievement. Thus, self-confidence helps us become aware of how successfully we carry out a task or a series of acts. In conclusion, having a good education will certainly lead to success in life.

All things considered, education is the process of obtaining information and knowledge that pave the way for a prosperous future. As was already mentioned, having an education has several advantages, like having a successful career, a high social standing, and self-assurance. Through education, we learn to regard challenges as opportunities to overcome fearlessly and try new things. It is the primary reason for successful people's success and developed nations' worth. Therefore, it is believed that education is the true foundation for all future achievement.