Education in Ancient India c4.44

c4.44

The Role of the Family in the Pre-Historic Times: In pre-historic times, i. e. before about 1000 B. C., the family played a still greater part in the educational system. At that early period, the professional teacher was yet rather rare; so generally the father was the usual teacher and the home the usual school. Several examples are preserved in Vedic and Upanishadic literature of fathers themselves teaching their own sons.¹ Nay, the father himself was to begin the Vedic education, because it was he and he alone who was regarded as eligible for teaching the Gāyatrī Mantra to the boy; recourse was had to another teacher only if he was unavailable for the purpose. In course of time, owing to greater specialisation that became inevitable, home education became possible only in the case of a few cultured families. Remaining families were however expected to take prompt steps to send the children to a teacher or a school at the proper time and supervise their lessons at home if necessary. Supervision of the education of the family wards was one of the most important duties of its head.²