Imperial Academy of Scholars
The Imperial Academy of Scholars is the most prestigious institution of teaching and learning in Senyon and perhaps in all of Derkomai. Only the most gifted scholars are invited to join, as determined by a rigorous test, known as the Ministerial Examination, which is given only once every three years in the capital city, Sendoshi. The Ministerial Examination requires three entire days to complete. To be invited to take the Ministerial Examination, applicants must achieve a perfect score on a standardized local test, called the Official Examination, which is given each year in cities and towns throughout Senyon, and must also be considered to be ethical and upright. Very few are able to meet these high standards; thus, less than 100 scholars sit for the Ministerial Examination when it is given. Of those invited, only about one-third receive a score high enough to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Scholars.
Even being invited to sit for the Ministerial Examination is considered a high honor and guarantees the invitees a position in the government. Those that do not pass are often given lower-ranking positions in the Bureau of Translators or the College of Princes, in various government posts within towns and villages throughout Senyon, or as teachers within schools throughout the country. Women that are invited to sit for the Ministerial Examination but do not pass are often given a teaching position within the Preparatory School for Girls, which is in the Court of Ministers within Liliakinyosa. The Preparatory School for Girls, while it is also considered a prestigious institution, is not part of the Imperial Academy of Scholars.
Structure
The Imperial Academy of Scholars has four divisions:
- The Imperial Secretariat
- The Grand Imperial Historians of the Great Sacred Empire
- The Bureau of Translators
- The College of Princes
Yixing-Jiumin Jenyal by Peter Nelson (Zero Sum Games)
Yixing-Jiumin Jenyal, headmaster of the Imperial Academy of Scholars
Alternative Names
The Forest of Brushes
Ruling Organization
Parent Organization
Location
Related Ethnicities
Very competitive. Are all of the teachers at the Imperial Academy former students there?
Yes, in general, but some of the teachers in the College of Princes are not, as the teachers of the College of Princes must educate the imperial princes (and some boys of the nobility) in all of the skills that the imperial family thinks a prince should know, including riding and martial arts - subjects that scholars of the Imperial Academy typically do not teach. The scholars teach reading and writing, arithmetic and accounting, history, philosophy, leadership, and some more esoteric subjects, like musical performance, poetry, art history, and even dance. The imperial family has high expectations of the princes, and they get the best education that can be had on Derkomai - but there is constant tension between the scholars and the monks of the Vestry of Valamarashe to avoid violations of the Praxis Illicitus. Thanks for reading!
Oh, one more quick thing: I based the Imperial Academy of Scholars on a real academy of ancient China, called the Hanlin Academy. It was different in a lot of respects, but the idea of an academy of elite scholars serving the imperial government came from the real Hanlin Academy.
Cool! I have a very prestigious, competitive school in one of my worlds, so that would be a good place to do research when I get around to fleshing it out.