"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car, but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railway"
-Theodaore Roosevelt-
When we look into evolution of the university system, it is very important to discuss role of religious institutions played in shaping education. Religion and education co-existed in the primitive stage of society in order to maintain social order and enhance social awareness among community worldwide. Emergence of the university system goes 2500 years ago and it specifically demarcates influence of Buddhism on it. Most of these higher education institutions at that time have taught religious, spiritual, linguistic, literal and philosophical ideologies. But later on they have widened their scope towards mathematics, medicine and advance aspects of technical disciplines etc... in order to meet evolving global needs.
Oxford English Dictionary defines "university" as follows,
It is "A high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done." https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/university last accessed on 22nd May 2017.
Universities differ from schools and it basically goes beyond mere transmission of skills and knowledge. University is knowledge hub which develops cluster of skills among undergraduates in order to build up their own opinion. Rather, it cultivates research culture which is an overwhelming feature in producing new knowledge. Therefore importance of university system has not denied in both east and west. Firstly they emerged as "educational institutions" and subsequently formed into "universities". Hence it is important to examine development of educational institutions as well as development of universities.
Inception of Educational Institutions in the Eastern World.
Emergence of educational institutions to provide higher education is particularly evident in the eastern part of the world,"Taxila" formerly known as "Takshashila" in Pakistan, was considered to be one of the earliest universities in the world. Kautila who was father of Economics, is a great scholar who taught in 'Taxila".
Oxford English Dictionary defines "university" as follows,
It is "A high-level educational institution in which students study for degrees and academic research is done." https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/university last accessed on 22nd May 2017.
Universities differ from schools and it basically goes beyond mere transmission of skills and knowledge. University is knowledge hub which develops cluster of skills among undergraduates in order to build up their own opinion. Rather, it cultivates research culture which is an overwhelming feature in producing new knowledge. Therefore importance of university system has not denied in both east and west. Firstly they emerged as "educational institutions" and subsequently formed into "universities". Hence it is important to examine development of educational institutions as well as development of universities.
Inception of Educational Institutions in the Eastern World.
Emergence of educational institutions to provide higher education is particularly evident in the eastern part of the world,"Taxila" formerly known as "Takshashila" in Pakistan, was considered to be one of the earliest universities in the world. Kautila who was father of Economics, is a great scholar who taught in 'Taxila".
Image of Taxila ( Pakistan)
Similarly higher education institutions such as "Nalanda" and "Vickramashila" developed in India along with teachings in Buddhism and Hindu religions. Those are strongly associated with religion and prioritize philosophy.
Image of Nalanda ( India)
Image of Vickramashila (India)
Significantly in Sri Lanka "Piriven" education evolved associating temples in line with the norm of higher education. "Pirivena" is a particular place where Buddhist teachings taught to Buddhist monks by Monks and Intellectuals.
Inception of Educational Institutions in the Western World.
