Education

The Aztecs were one of the few ancient civilizations where education was mandatory for everyone, boys and girls from all social status were educated at home and later at schools (although the kind of school depended on gender and class).

During the Middle Ages big churches, cathedrals and monasteries provided schools for boys who wanted to become churchmen. At these schools the boys would learn to speak, read and write in Latin and how to study and discuss religious books.

John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), (usually called just 'Comenius') was a 17th century Czech bishop. Comenius forged an Europe-wide program of Christian-based, ecumenical education that earned him the title "Father of Modern Education." His educational plan transformed the way children were schooled.

Comenius invented the idea of a modern school textbook which used pictures as well as prose to get its message across.

In 1687 the Frenchman Francois Fenelon wrote his Treatise on the Education of Girls in which he argued that a sound education depended on the fulfilment of a child’s natural abilities.

Peter I of Russia emphasized the significance of education through a decree on January 31, 1714, which mandated compulsory education for the Russian nobility. According to this decree, children of the nobility, as well as government clerks and officials aged between ten and fifteen, were required to study mathematics and geometry. Subsequently, these students were dispatched to different regions of the country to instruct others in the same subjects, with their salaries funded by the state. Only upon demonstrating mastery of the material and receiving a certificate of completion were these individuals permitted to marry.

Schoolmaster Christopher Dock split his time between two Mennonite schools in Pennsylvania. He wrote in 1750 Schul Ordnung, or School Management, the first published textbook on educational method in Britain's American colonies. For twenty years, he refused to publish the book, as he was afraid that it would look like he was trying to build a "monument" to himself.

The Commission of National Education was the central educational authority in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and the King Stanisław August Poniatowski on October 14, 1773. Because of its vast authority and autonomy, it is considered the first Ministry of Education in European history.

Algebra for national schools, (1782).

Emma Hart Willard (1787 – 1870) was an American women's rights activist who dedicated her life to education. She opened the Troy Female Seminary in 1814 to teach subjects not then available to women. Willard believed that women could master topics like mathematics and philosophy rather than just subjects taught at finishing school.

Academician, the first successful educational magazine, began publication in New York City in 1818.

Catharine Esther Beecher (1800-78) (daughter of Lyman Beecher, sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe). founded the Hartford Female Seminary in 1823, launching a life-long campaign as lecturer, author, and advocate for women's education.

Robert College of Istanbul, Turkey was founded on September 16, 1863 by Christopher Robert, an American philanthropist. The institution is the oldest American school still in existence in its original location outside the United States.

Gould Hall, Robert College of Istanbul, Turkey. By Wikipedia  

The 1902 Education Act was established in Britain to streamline administration by transferring functions of school boards to county and country boards, for the first time giving them the power to provide secondary schools. The establishment of local authority maintenance of predominately Anglican schools aroused the wrath of the Nonconformists who objected to the subsiding of Anglican education.

Maria Montessori opened her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome, Italy on January 6, 1907.

The Mexican Constitution, approved by the Constitutional Congress on February 5, 1917, was the first document in history to state that every person has the right to an education. It established the right to education as a fundamental principle, guaranteeing access to education for all citizens, regardless of their social status, race, or gender. The Mexican Constitution was a significant moment in the history of human rights and marked a major milestone in the fight for universal education.

Cover of the original copy of the Constitution

In 1963 the US Supreme Court decided to ban school prayer against the wishes of the vast majority of the public.

More than half of Canada's population has a college degree, making it the most educated country in the world.

Girls in the UK have been getting higher grades than boys at school and university for nearly a century.

Sources Chronicle of The World,, Christianity.com