Western education : Pre-contemporary history outside the West

Western education is a method of education that originated in or is primarily characteristic of the Western world.

History

Ancient era

This section is part of the topic of classical education.

Classical education refers to an ancient method of teaching that has its roots in ancient Greece and Rome, where the foundations of Western intellectual and cultural life were laid. Essentially, classical education is based on the study of the liberal arts, which historically included the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, and logic) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). This educational model aimed to develop well-rounded individuals equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in public life, think critically, and cultivate moral and intellectual virtues.

In ancient Greece, the classical curriculum emerged from the educational practices of philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who emphasized dialectical reasoning and the search for truth. The Roman Empire adopted and adapted these Greek educational ideals, emphasizing the development of rhetoric and speaking skills, which were considered essential for participation in civic life. As these classical ideas were preserved and developed during the Middle Ages, they became the foundation of the educational systems that emerged in Europe, particularly in monastic and cathedral schools.

The Renaissance marked a major shift in classical education, as scholars in Europe rediscovered and embraced the texts and ideas of antiquity. Humanists of this period promoted the study of classical languages, literature, and philosophy, believing them essential to the formation of good and informed citizens. This shift continued into the Age of Enlightenment, where classical education played a key role in shaping intellectual movements that emphasized reason, individualism, and secularism.

Despite significant changes over the centuries, classical education has maintained a lasting influence on Western thought and educational methods. Today, its legacy can be seen in the curriculum of liberal arts colleges, the revival of classical Christian education, and ongoing debates about the need for classical studies in a modern, globalized world.

Modern era

This section is an excerpt from Progressive education.

Progressive education or educational progressivism, is a pedagogical movement that began in the late 19th century and has persisted in various forms to the present. In Europe, progressive education took the form of the New Education Movement. The term progressive was engaged to distinguish this education from the traditional curricula of the 19th century, which was rooted in classical preparation for the early-industrial university and strongly differentiated by social class. By contrast, progressive education finds its roots in modern, post-industrial experience. Most progressive education programs have these qualities in common:

Emphasis on learning by doing – hands-on projects, expeditionary learning, experiential learning

Integrated curriculum focused on thematic units

Strong emphasis on problem solving and critical thinking

Group work and development of social skills

Understanding and action as the goals of learning as opposed to rote knowledge

Collaborative and cooperative learning projects

Education for social responsibility and democracy

Integration of community service and service learning projects into the daily curriculum

Selection of subject content by looking forward to ask what skills will be needed in future society

De-emphasis on textbooks in favor of varied learning resources

Emphasis on lifelong learning and social skills

Assessment by evaluation of child's projects and productions

Pre-contemporary history outside the West

The introduction of Western education to the rest of the world was largely through imperialism. This influenced how Western education was adopted and impacted the world.

Africa

This section is part of 'Education in Africa & Overview of Education in Colonial Africa'.

With the beginning of the colonial period in the 19th century, traditional African education began to decline as the primary mode of education. European military forces, missionaries, and colonizers were all willing and able to modify existing traditions to meet their needs and desires. Colonial powers like Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and France established colonies on the continent without establishing any educational systems. Because the primary focus of colonization was to profit from the commercial colonial economy, cash crop production, and raw material extraction, other physically demanding jobs were prioritized. These economies did not grow to the point of requiring more skill or labor; therefore, there was a greater demand for more demanding labor, while those requiring less skill were more demanding. Due to these circumstances, there was little demand for educating or training the colonized population. Asia

East Asia

In China, when reformers were trying to cope with foreign influence in the late 19th century, they decided to reorganize Chinese society through a process of self-consolidation, which included the adoption of ideas from the West.

Even before the Edo period, Japan had developed considerable contact with Western knowledge through Rangaku (Dutch learning). While maintaining its isolationist sakoku policy, Japan permitted limited trade with the Dutch East India Company at Dejima, Nagasaki. This unique arrangement allowed Japanese scholars to study Western medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences through Dutch books and interaction with Dutch traders. Rangaku scholars such as Sugita Genpaku and Maeno Ryotaku produced groundbreaking translations of Dutch medical texts, including the influential "Kaitai Shinsho" (New Book of Anatomy), which introduced Western medical knowledge to Japan. This early exposure to Western learning through the Dutch connection laid an important foundation for Japan's later modernization efforts during the Meiji era, when Japan sought to further modernize itself by learning from the West. It sent scholars and diplomats to Western countries to learn from their educational systems.

South Asia

This section covers the history of education in the Indian subcontinent and the colonial era.

The Jesuits introduced India to both the European college system and book printing by establishing St. Paul's College in Goa in 1542. French traveler François Pyrard de Laval, who visited Goa around 1608, described St. Paul's College and praised the wide range of subjects offered there for free. Like many other European travelers who visited the college, he reported that it had 3,000 students at the time, drawn from missions across Asia. Its library was one of the largest in Asia, and the first printing press in the region was installed there in September 1556.

The British began colonizing India in the late 18th century and began imposing Western education by the early 19th century. They considered this a very positive step, feeling it was a way to civilize the people. Native kings and princes also sometimes took such education to understand how to deal with the British threat.