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  

üKnowledge 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).

üLiterature was included in the curriculum, real literature taste was not cultivated.

üMoral and religious instruction also had a secondary place in these schools.

üIn some schools salutation of Goddess Saraswati (The Goddess of Learning) was learnt by the students.

üInstruction in mythology and sacred love of the Hindus was also given in some schools.