{"id":9359,"date":"2023-12-02T11:35:07","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T10:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=9359"},"modified":"2023-12-02T11:35:07","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T10:35:07","slug":"why-did-public-education-not-take-off-in-ancient-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/why-did-public-education-not-take-off-in-ancient-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did Public Education Not Take Off In Ancient Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Background Information<\/h2>\n

Ancient Rome was a unique civilization that has had lasting impacts on society throughout the centuries. One area in which Rome is renowned is its public education system. While Rome promoted the value of education, the public education system presented in the 6th century BCE did not take off. In early Rome, education involved boys attending school from age six to sixteen and attending school from early morning to late afternoon. They would come home to have dinner with their families and then do additional work such as practice writing and complete their school assignments. School classes included recitation of poetry and practical instruction on mathematics and grammar.<\/p>\n

Relevant Data and Perspectives From Experts<\/h2>\n

Experts have suggested that the biggest reason why Rome’s public education system did not take off was the lack of resources. The Roman system of education was largely based on the teacher and student sharing the same curriculum, and while they had libraries, they were not able to keep up with new and updated materials. To make matters worse, the teacher only had a limited amount of time and resources to teach students, meaning that students were not given the full benefit of receiving an education.
\nAnother limitation of ancient Roman education was the lack of a large-scale supervision system. Most of the time, the teacher was mainly responsible for instilling knowledge in the student and was not always able to remain present throughout the entire teaching process. This meant that it wasn’t possible to track the student’s progress and provide feedback and guidance.<\/p>\n

Own Insights and Analysis<\/h2>\n

In my opinion, many of the problems that kept Rome’s public education system from taking off are still relevant to our modern times. Today, in many educational systems, students often lack the support needed to learn and progress, as there is still an extreme lack of resources and funding, meaning that students are unable to receive the best possible education.
\nFurthermore, comprehensive supervision systems, such as regularly tracking student’s progress and providing feedback, remain underdeveloped. Essentially, it is up to the teachers to ensure that each student is equipped with the resources, guidance and support needed to grow, develop and reach their greatest potential.<\/p>\n

Role of the Parents<\/h2>\n

In ancient Rome, the role of the parents was integral in the development of the student. The expectation of a student coming from a noble family was to have their father as their teacher. This allowed the father more control over the teaching process and ensured that the student was equipped with the proper knowledge and skills needed through individualized education.
\nOn the other hand, those coming from poorer backgrounds were not so fortunate and did not have the same benefit of personalized attention from the teacher. A single teacher was expected to teach multiple students on a daily basis with limited resources and attention.<\/p>\n

Transition to Imperial System of Education<\/h2>\n