Education During Medieval Period
This period covers the system of
education in India from about the 10nth century AD & the middle of the 18th
century ie., before the British rule.
The period of 10th century A.D was the
period of constant Muslim invasions. They established dynasties in India and
some permanently settled here. But most of the rulers except Akbar the great,
the Mugal emperor were not much aware of the development of education and so no
interest was taken. They were engaged in constant wars to enlarge their
kingdoms and strengthen their power. The scope of education was limited to
religion dominated studies, strictly orthodox in nature. Thus no notable
advanced or leap was happened in the field of education during this
period. Education system during this period can be divided into two –
Muslim system of Education and Hindu system of Education.
Muslim system of Education
Medieval
period witnessed a radical transformation in the Indian subcontinent. The
country was invaded by various foreign rulers and several traders from around
the world came and settled in the country. The tradesmen and the invaders
brought with them their own cultures and intermingled with the people of the
each district of the state. Besides, religion, society and culture, Education
in medieval India also experienced a new perspective. The Mughal rulers came to
India and established their rule. In the 11th century the Muslims established
elementary and secondary schools. Furthermore, this led to the commencement of
universities at cities like Delhi, Lucknow and Allahabad. Education developed
with a fresh aspect during that period as there was an excellent interaction
between Indian and Islamic traditions in all fields of knowledge like theology,
religion, philosophy, fine arts, painting, architecture, mathematics, medicine
and astronomy.
However,
before the advent of the Muslims in India, there was a developed system of
education, but Education in medieval India was shaped with the founding of the
institutions of learning. Muslim rulers promoted urban education by bestowing
libraries and literary societies. They founded primary schools (Maktabs) in which
students learned reading, writing, and basic Islamic prayers, and secondary
schools (madrasas) to teach advanced language skills In India. Several
Madrasahs were set up by Sultans, nobles, and their influential ladies. The
main objective of these Madrasahs was to train and educate scholar who would
become eligible for the civil service as well as performing duties as judge.
Iltutmish was the first ruler to establish a Madrasahs at Delhi during the
medieval rule. Gradually many Madrasahs came into being.
The
system of Education in medieval India was under the control of Ulama who were
in favour of curriculum as laid down by Akbar. During those days education was
related to religious training. However, various subjects such as medicine,
Arabic literature, grammar and philosophy were also taught. History states that
Arab and Central Asian peoples brought Muslim educational models to the India
in both the medieval and early modern periods. Women education in India during
the medieval period was prevalent. Muslim girls of affluent families studied at
home and moreover, as Persian was the court language of the period, elite boys
could attend Persian schools to learn literature, history, ethics, law,
administration.
Education
in medieval India flourished mostly during the Mughal rule from the beginning
of 1526 until the end of Mughal political presence in 1848. In the later
medieval era, the British came to India and introduced English education. With
the coming of the European missionaries, Western education made firm advances
in the country. Various universities and thousands of colleges got affiliated
and popularity of education increased in the medieval period.
Aims of Education
·
Developing love for Muslim culture and
religion.
·
Enabling the individual for Islamic
life.
·
Preparing the students for the next
world.
·
Equipping the students for a vocation.
·
Preparing individual for running
administration.
Chief
Characteristics of Muslim Education
·
Patronage
of the rules : The rules helped in the spread of education. They
built educational institutions and universities. They endowed them with the
funds. Big landlord also provide financial help for the spread of education.
The rules patronized the mean of learning.
·
Non-state
control :
The rules neither claim authority over the educational institutions nor
interfered with their management.
·
Religion
dominated education : The whole educational system was
saturated with the religious ideas which influenced the aim, the content of
study and even the daily life of the pupils.
The pupil acquired knowledge as a religious obligations.
·
Countryside
as the Centre of Education : By and large educational institutions
flourished in the country side.
·
Provision
of Various Discipline : Though education was primarily
religion-oriented, it included the study of many intellectual activities like
mathematics, Astronomy, Grammar and Politics. Art and Literature were also
encouraged.
·
Norms
of conduct : Adequate stress was laid on well –defined norms of
behavior, pattern of thought, building up personality and characters of the
pupils.
·
Teacher-Pupil
Relationship : In the Muslim period also the teacher was respected
as during the Brahminic or Buddhist period. There was intimate relationship
between the teacher and the pupil, although the practice of living with the
teacher was not as common with the Muslim as it was in the case of Brahminic and
Buddhist period.
·
Learned
Teachers :
Teachers took teaching for love of learning. They were held in high esteem.
Prof.S.Mukerji has observed , “ Learning was prized for its own sake and as a
mark of the highest human development and teaching was never handicapped by
examination requirements”.
·
Individualised
Instruction : Since the number of students with the teacher was
limited, he paid individual attention to each students.
·
Monitorial
System :
Although a teacher did not have many pupils to teach yet , still the teacher
would take the help of senior and advised students to teach the younger or the
junior students.
·
Discipline
:
Punishment were quite severe. Truants and delinquents were caned on their Palms
and slapped on their face. A strange mode of punishment was to make the
children hold their ears by taking their hands from under their thighs while
sitting on their tiptoes.
·
Types
of Institutions : Primary education was imparted in
‘Maktabs’ and secondary and high education in ‘Madrasa’.
·
Vocational
Education : Provision also was made for vocational, technical
and professional education. Emperor Akbar took considerable interest in
education as is evident for the passage of from the Ain –in- Akbar. The passage
makes interesting regarding and provides valuable information on the system of
instruction that is curriculum, methods of teaching , etc.
Chief Features of Primary and Elementary
Muslim Education
% Institution of Primary Education :
Primary education was imparted through the ‘Maktab’ , which were attached with mosque or were
independent of the mosque. ‘Khanquahs’
of the saints also at some places served as centers of education.
Several learned men also taught students at their residence.
% Financing of The ‘Maktabas’ : Most
of the maktabas were either patronized by rulers or had endowment. They depend
on the charity of the Philanthropists.
% Management of The Maktabas :
These were run under the guidance of the learned Maulavis. They were supposed
to be very pious.
% Curriculum : Curriculum
varied from place to place, but the teaching of Alphabets and the Recitation of
Quran was almost compulsory. The student learned some portion of Quran by heart
as this was considered essential to perform religious functions.
% Language : Arabic and
Persian Languages were mostly compulsory . For getting high govt. posts one has
to learn these languages.
% Fees : There were
several village schools where the students were required to pay their
instructions, not in cash but in land.
% Orphanages : The state setup
some orphanages where the children’s received education free of charges. Vast
endowments were made for these orphanages.
% Age of Admission : At
the age of four years, four months and four days Maktab ceremony or Bismillah
was performed to indicate the beginning of the child. This was considered as an
auspicious movement for initiation or starting education.
% Education of Sons of Nobles and Rulers : The
Muslim nobles as well as rulers engaged tutors to teach their childerns at
home.
% Wide Spread Maktabs : Almost every
village had at least one Maktab. Their were several maktabas in town and
cities.
% Mode of Instruction :
During this days their were no printed books for the beginners , wooden books (
Taktis) were used. The Quran after alphabetic , words were taught to students.
Stress on Calligraphy – beautiful and fine handwriting was an independent
element of instruction. Teaching of grammar – Grammar was taught as it was
considered very valuable in teaching the languages. Books other than Quran ,
the Gulistan and the Bostan poems of poet Firdausi were taken up. Paharas –
students also learned paharas ‘multiple of numbers’. Students memorized these
while uttering collective in aloud voice.
% Buildings : In general ,
the students sat on the ground in the rows under the shadows of a tree.
Madrasahs
The
madrasahs imparted secondary and higher
education. Often this Madrasahs were attached to Mosques. The term Madrasahs is
derived from Arabic word ‘Dars’ ( A lecture ) and means a place where lecture
is given. There was difference in principles between the Madrasahs and other
mosques. When a particular room was set apart in a mosque for the teaching
purpose it was called a Madrasah. Some times it was quite close to large
mosque. It functioned as college of higher education where eminent scholars
taught different subjects by using different methods, supplemented by
discussions. Management was usually private supported by state grants and
endowments. The content of the curriculum was both religious and covered a
period from 10 – 12 years. Religious education comprised deep study of the
Quran , Islamic law and Sufism. Literature, Logic, History, Geography,
Astronomy, Astrology, Arithmetic, Agriculture and Medicine were the scholar
subjects taught in Madrasa. Madrasa had attached hostels , which provide free
boding and lodging.
Hindu System of Education
Education in India had a
deep impact in the upliftment and advancement of the early society and over all
development. India is pregnant with a rich tradition of knowledge and learning
from the earliest days of Indian civilization. There are several literary
sources, such as the Vedas and other Hindu texts and scriptures, which offer
references about education system of the ancient societies. The Mahabharata,
some Dharma sutras, particularly those of Gautama Buddha and Apastamba and the
Manu Smriti, are the principal works dealing with the system of education in
ancient India. The term Upanayana signified the formal admission ceremony. By
this ceremony, boys of the three upper classes namely Brahmin, Kshatriya and
Vaishya are taken to the preceptor, and initiated to Vedic study. The age-limit
for this purpose, ranged between 5 and 16 for Brahmins, 6 and 22 for
Kshatriyas, 8 and 24 for Vaishyas. The boy, so initiated, had to live at the
preceptor`s house. The service of the preceptor was a bounden duty of the
pupil. The student was to beg alms, and survive on what the preceptor
apportioned for him. History of Education in Ancient India The history of
education in ancient India is rather interesting and is recorded. It can be
traced back to the ancient epoch. Education in Ancient India began around the
3rd century BC with elements of religious training and impart of traditional
knowledge. In the ancient days, sages and scholars imparted education orally
and after the development of letters the form of writing was introduced.
Palm leaves and barks of trees were used for writing and thus
helped in spreading the written literature. In ancient times, women in India
had the equal right to receive teaching and education. Gurukul System Education
in Ancient India originated with the Gurukul system. This type of ancient Hindu
school in India was residential in nature with the Shishyas or students and the
Guru or teacher living in proximity within the same house. The students resided
together irrespective of their social standing. However, several temples and
community centers regularly took the role of schools. In addition to that
ancient Indian education achieved a noticeable position in the early Vedic
period, beginning in the 1200 B.C. In the Vedic days, the teaching of the four
Vedas, the hymns and ritual practices were seen. The Vedas included the
Sanskrit language which in turn became the language of classical learning.
Besides the pronunciation of the Vedas and their implication, phonology,
metrics, elementary grammar, and etymology were also taught. Though, the Vedic
education was not transmitted to people of low strata, yet the Vedic system
inspired the modern day education system. Role of Teachers in Ancient Indian
Education The preceptors were of two classes, namely Acharya and Upadhyaya.
According to ancient literary texts the Acharya performs the Upanayana ceremony
of the students, teaches him the Veda along with ritualistic literature and the
Upanishads. But he does not work for the pupil for livelihood whereas the
Upadhyaya teaches his pupil the Veda and the Vedic literatures for livelihood.
The Apastamba Dharma Sutra proclaims that though the teacher is the sole
guardian of the learner during his study, yet he cannot exercise arbitrary
power. It declares that the educator cannot utilise the pupil`s services for
his own advantage. For the student`s offences, he can punish him in the
prescribed manner but not in any way he likes. According to the
Apastamba-dharma sutra, a pupil should confidentially draw the attention of the
teacher to any wrongdoing of the rules, meant for him, either purposely or
unconsciously. The students are allowed to control the teacher by force from
wrong-doing or to get him restrained by his father etc. Mahabharata mentions
that students are allowed to desert his teacher who is arrogant, ignorant of
his duty and resorts to a wrong course of action. Brahmacharya System
Brahmacharya summarises the sum total of the responsibilities of a student. It
entails rigorous self-discipline and self-control. All sorts of pleasures and
luxuries must be avoided by the pupils. Some of the occasions on which
termination of study was prescribed include dusty storm by day, playing of
certain musical instruments within the hearing of the pupil, cries of animals,
screech of an owl, heavy downpour, rattling of thunderbolt, earthquake,
eclipse, fall of a meteor, festival, certain Tithi and Nakshatras, e.g. full
moon day, etc. Samavartana marks the end of a pupil`s period of study and
return home.
Feature of Hindu system of Education
1.
Lack
of State Support : With the advent of the muslim rule, the
state support for the hindu system of education almost ended. Now it depended
upon the rich people, scholars and village communities of course where there
were no muslim rules, it received sate
support . gradually there remained few such areas.
2.
Religion
oriented Education : The system of education by and large
was dominated by religion.
3.
The
Pathashalas : Elementary education was imparted in pathashalas
which existed both in villages and towns.
4.
Building
of Pathashalas : Usually pathashalas were held in the verandah or
some house or under trees. There were also separated houses for pathashalas. A
specific type of buildings for them did not exist premises of the temples were
also used.
5.
Fees
:
No regular fees were charged from the students. The parents gave presents to
the teachers. Students were required to render personal services to the
teachers. Some times teachers also engaged themselves in part time work to
supplement their income.
6.
Instructional
Methods at The Elementary Stages :
there were four stages of instruction at the elementary stages. In the first
stage writing letters of the alphabet on sand was taught to students. In the
second stage, the teacher wrote on palm leafs and the students traced over them
with red pen and charcoal ink. These could be rubbed very easily.
In
the third stage , the student wrote and pronounced compound components .
excessive practice was given to the students
In this regard common names of persons were used for this purpose . At
this stage also the students was taught to use these words in the formation of
sentence . He was also taught to make a distinction between written and
colloquial languages. The students were taught the rules of arithmetic and
multiplication tables repeated by the entire class. In the fourth stage
students were taught to use paper for writing.
7.
Curriculum
ü Knowledge
of weight and measures was considered essential therefore, arithmetic was a
compulsory subject at elementary stage. According to Dr.Krishnalal Roy ,(1989)
, “the elementary school were mainly for giving instruction to these R’s and
there practical application ( Such as composition of letters and business
documents).
ü Literature
was included in the curriculum, real literature taste was not cultivated.
ü Moral
and religious instruction also had a secondary place in these schools.
ü In
some schools salutation of Goddess Saraswati (The Goddess of Learning) was
learnt by the students.
ü Instruction
in mythology and sacred love of the Hindus was also given in some schools.
