Describe the structure, content and methods of education in ancient China.

Structure

The home formed the centre for training children on practical activities even after the school was developed as an educational institution. And even after developing educational institutions, the Chinese never established a national system of education but private schools were encouraged in almost all the villages. The teachers, who mostly came from those who had failed in the national examinations meant for official positions charged fees for their services.

The Chinese did not have specifically erected school structures and learning therefore took place in the home of the teacher, homes of wealthy patrons, old temples or any other available places.

Poor attendance was generally recorded in those institutions because they were mostly focused on preparing their clients for government examinations for official positions in the civil service. The schools did not address everyday needs. Although the private schools and the public examinations were open to all males regardless of class, in essence, only sons from high class
families attended because of the private nature of learning as well as the preparation of examinations that necessitated much leisure
Learning in these schools was organized at two levels:

i) Elementary level that was formal and rigorous.

ii) Higher level that trained people for government tests which marked the highest stage of the educational process.

The boys started at the age of seven. Schools were conducted from sunrise to five with a lunch break at ten. The school sessions were held throughout the year. After elementary level, the boy continued his education by himself at higher level marked by a series of examinations by the government that led to the award of degrees to the few successful ones. The whole purpose of education was to prepare the individual to fill a place in a fixed order of society.

Content

The content in Chinese education was based on the philosophy and teachings of Confucius, Lao-tzu, and Mencius among others. However, Confucius was the most influential with his system of utilitarian morality being inculcated into each individual through the family and the state. Emphasis in education was based on an ethical and civic system that resulted from instruction in ancestral traditions. This assured the continuity of the empire by placing official duties of government in the hands of those that had mastered past traditions. The writings of Confucius remained the main subjects of study in Chinese schools up to the World War I.
The state examinations were conducted at three levels:
i) Preliminary examinations at county level with those who passed being awarded honours (Hsiu Tsai) or Bachelor of Arts that enabled an individual to get elected to the ranks of nobility.
ii) Examinations conducted in various provinces and those who passed were awarded a Master of Arts degree (Chu Jen) that enabled individuals to rise still higher in the social scale.
iii) Final examinations were conducted in the capital for thirteen days and those who passed were awarded a Chin-Shih that gave an individual the right to hold public office.

Methods

Instruction in the Chinese system of education was based on the methods developed by Confucius who encouraged his students to reason about his teachings in addition to calling for practical application of his teachings. Confucius respected his students and adapted his teaching to the needs and capacities of individual learners. He also called on the teachers to establish human relationships with the learners. Unfortunately, the teachers who came later departed from the example of the master. They discarded reasoning and learning focused on cramming of the memory and imitation accompanied with harsh discipline The Chinese civilization interested western thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu who took a lot of interest in studying their institutions. In addition, the Chinese also contributed to the development of Western art especially painting and water colours that borrowed heavily from that of the Chinese.

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marto answered the question on March 19, 2019 at 08:25