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Education
Education is a broad concept that many contradict it with schooling. Education does not necessarily refer to a process of schooling but the process that is concerned with methods and systems of teaching and learning in schools. Notably, education also refers to the process through which one invites and acquires truth and possibility of acknowledging and giving time for more to discover. John Dewey referred education as a “process of living and not a preparation for future living.” It is through education that values and knowledge are passed from one person or generation to another in the society. This paper intends to discuss in depth the history and evolution of education as well as the significance and impact it has on individuals and the society at large.
Education can be viewed as way of transmitting values and knowledge from one generation to another in the society. In the prehistoric and historic times, the society used to view education as way of socialization. The new born children were born not aware of culture. At the time education was designed as a way of transferring and teaching culture, moulding of behaviours and ways of adulthood among the children. The primitive culture was purposed with just guiding the children to be good members of the community and the society. The adults used to act as the teachers and the entire environment acted as schools. However, as time went by, the information become more and the society grew in a complex way. This called for adaptation of more selective and efficient means that they would be able to transfer to the new generation. The solution of this was now the formal education that was led by specialist that would select and pass information from one generation to the other. They were referred to as teachers.
Notably, due to the complexity and the institutionalization of the learning areas, the experience also changed and was disconnected from the day to day living. Education now took a different route, more of learning instead seeing and doing. The children and even other people in the society started learning in the context, whereby things were extracted, distilled told and learnt out of context. This led to the introduction of formal learning environments where children are able to learn their culture and the society continued to formulate the importance, objectives, organizations, contents and strategies of education. Literature was developed and improved the ways of bringing up and rearing of the younger generation. Simply, this led to the establishment of education theories and philosophies that added efficiency and effectiveness to education.
There before, education was only used in the primitive cultures as just a sense of enculturation. This just simply means the process of passing and transmitting culture. During that time the people were primitive and had a fixed sense on how their culture was doing things disregarding time and continuity. This was quite absolute and static and what was being passed from one generation had no or very little deviation. The primitive people were concerned about making the young ones grow as strong individuals and tribal members. This was accompanied by young being seen through the stage of prepuberty to post-puberty. At some time, the children participated in social activities that belonged to the adults that enhanced participatory learning that was referred to as empathy identification and imitation according to Margaret Mead. Before puberty, children used to learn by observing and doing basic technicalities and practices the adult members of the society engaged in. The process from prepuberty to post puberty was referred to as initiation curriculum whereby the cultural values, rituals, history, tribal religion, myths and philosophies were induced to the children undergoing the process.
Thereafter the education started becoming civilized in Middle East around 3000BCE, North China later followed just five thousand and five hundred years later. This period was regarded as the first civilization which later flourished during the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations in the phase of 3000 BCE to 1500BCE. These civilizations differed differently on the certain aspects but shared a lot of literary achievements. Due the need to the continuation and preservation of these civilizations that were regarded as highly developed there an absolute necessity for writing and formal education. For instance, in Egypt the education was preserved and controlled by the priests and the elite in the theocracy of Egypt. Humanities and practical subjects such as medicine, science, geometry and mathematics were taught in formal schools. Whereas engineering, architecture and sculpture were transmitted in informal setups. Such was also experienced in Mesopotamia and North China but the concepts of higher education, learning centres and written materials were realised during this phase.
The pre-Colombian civilizations were quite compared to the Old word civilizations. These achievements majorly happened in Maya, Aztecs and Incas. The Maya possessed extraordinary degree of knowledge and understanding of mathematics and astronomy. The Aztecs also were well sophisticated with their calendar and construction of highways. On the other hand, the ability of the Aztecs in the construction and designing of the temples. The Mayan also developed a well sophisticated system of writing. Nevertheless, the archaeological documents and findings did not give enough prove of the education among the Maya, Aztecs and Incas. However, from the write ups and available documents it is evident that the pre-Colombian civilizations were the genesis of formal education among the nobility and priests training. It brought the sense of education as a way of cultural conservation, moral and character training, vocational training and cultural deviation control.
Later on, the education faced other levels of development that were being adopted in regard to the prevailing times and environment. It faced various developments along the way with influence an impact from different parts of the world such as the Indians who established the period of studentship. The Indian also introduced the universities that improve the understanding in sciences, astronomy and mathematics further. Other groups that played a major role were the Greeks, Hebrews, Spartans, and the Athens. All these groups are the one laid the foundation to the systems, theories and philosophies that are used to the present day. All these led to the establishment of institutions that offered physical education, primary schools for the children between the ages of 7-14 years, secondary education that offered intermediate education after primary schools to the higher education. This was significantly realised in the Hellenistic Age that was later adopted by the Roman, modified, and used to the present.
Education has become a major, crucial and powerful agent of change impacting livelihoods, health and great contribution towards economic growth and social stability. This could not come into realization if education would not have evolved as it did through the various ages and civilizations. Progressiveness that has been realised over from the primitive cultures, earlier civilization, old world civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and North china, New world civilizations to the present. This has significantly led to the establishment of theories, philosophies and systems that has made education better and more beneficial to the present society.
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