Temple Schools
Temple Schools were centers of advanced education in Fultar, whose importance has wained over time with the rise of Universities, with the best evolving into universities. Some temple Schools still exist, even though they have lost most of their importance, and are no longer the main (or often the only) source of education as they were hundreds of years ago.
These early Temple Schools focused on apprenticeship in religious learning under a scholarly priest. While originally the function of such schools was to train priests, later they taught lay students as well—usually boys and girls of noble families being prepared for high positions in church, state, or commercial affairs. Most temples had such a school; there were generally fewer than 100 students in a school. Although the boys and girls who were sent there were children of the nobility who may or may not have had an interest in clerical life, much of the schools' curriculum focused on teaching them to read and write, and preparing them to join the ranks of the temples.
The Temple Schools become great repositories of knowledge, in that many of the books of the day (particularly religious texts) were copied by hand in monastic scriptoria and stored in their libraries. On the secular side, young men and women of privilege, were instructed at court, learning to read and write; but their education was rarely broad or extensive. While distinct from the Palace Schools, which educated the young men and women of the ruling class on military and court tactics, the Temple Schools were often similar to the Monastic Schools, which were part of monasteries. The Temple Schools were specifically designed to provide an academic education in the service of the priesthood, and later secular world, while the Monastic Schools were a natural outgrowth of monastic service. Most Monastic Schools were monks of Tya Nehru.
Three important historical events and figures in the foundation of Temple Schools include the educational policies of King Magne and the Matriarch Geneva, high priestess of Tya Nehru, and the establishment of the cult of Ohgma. The Fultonian King Magne recognized the recognized the importance of education to the priests and, to a lesser extent, to the nobility, set out to bolster the new temple schools by issuing several decrees requiring that education be provided at monasteries and temples. King Magne understood that the only way to keep his empire flourishing was through education. He started with the Palace Schools, where he expanded the curriculum to include the liberal arts, and funded the Temple Schools.
The high priestess of Tya Nehru, the Matriarch Geneva, was a significant figure in the establishment of Fultonian universities when she mandated the creation of Temple Schools to educate the priests. The establishment of the cult of Ohgma was another important event in the establishment of formal education in Fultar. The temples of Ohgma, as the god of education and knowledge, quickly established many Temple Schools, which surpassed in number of schools of all gods, other than Tya Nehru. Many lay students who were not necessarily interested in seeking a career in a temple wanted to enroll. Demand arose for schools to teach government, state, and other temple affairs. Pupils had to demonstrate substantial intelligence and be able to handle a demanding academic course load. Considering that books were also expensive, students were in the practice of memorizing their teachers' lectures. Temple schools at this time were primarily run by a group of ministers and divided into two parts: Schola minor which was intended for younger students would later become elementary schools. Then there was the schola major, which taught older students. These would later become secondary schools and universities.
Ancient Fultonian Education
Education in ancient Fultar progressed from an informal, familial system of education in Years of the People to a tuition-based system during the Years of Empire. Fultonian historic epochs can be seen here: Fultar. The education system relied at first upon private tutors, and organized education remained relatively rare until the last Years of the People. Education moved out of the family, and gradually found its final form with formal schools, which served to paying students. Both boys and girls were educated, though not necessarily together. The educational methodology and curriculum was copied in its provinces, including Nubia, Bevil, and areas that have now become Galletica, Henarria and Northern Fultar. The primary goal of the educational system was a strong moral education to produce hard working, good citizens and responsible Fultonians with a respect for tradition and devotion to duty. Practical skills were also valued, through both apprenticeships, as well as specialized schools of philosophy, law, medicine and magic. Skills that were had military applications, like engineering and construction, generally continued to be housed in the Fultonian army and navy, and never developed the same theoretical basis as other areas of education. The educational system developed into defined tiers, which included first education by the greater family network. Second were the grammatical schools that focused on the practical skills of reading, writing, memorization and speaking, with the texts generally focused on history and poetry. Third were the schools of oratory, which included speaking as well as geography, music, philosophy, literature, religion, and geometry. Especially during the late Years of the People, in which Fultar was a true aristocratic republic, public speaking and the private ability to influence others were important skills. Finally, there were specialized schools of medicine, law, magic and philosophy. The law schools established first as organized repositories of imperial constitutions and institutionalized the study and practice of jurisprudence to relieve the busy courts. The archiving of imperial constitutions facilitated the task of jurists in referring to legal precedents. With legal appeals, petitions from subjects, the magistrates, governors and emperors were careful to consult with the jurists of the law schools. Of secondary importance was the training of lawyers and civil servants.Fall of Fultar
After the fall of the ancient Fultonian Empire and the Guar Conquest, the classical education system disappeared, with the exception of the various temples and the Library of the Muses in the capitol Fulton. The Guar lacked an appreciation for formal eduction, and military skills became paramount in the chaotic and bloody post-conquest world of fragmented states, invasions and cataclysmic events like The Rise of the Undead. Members of the political, economic and military elite no longer needed a formal educational background, and the educational system was lost. In some areas, the educational system collapsed almost over night, while in other areas in was a slow decline. In Bevil, which considers itself the true survivor of ancient Fultar's heritage, the ancient Fultonian education system never died and has continued. While Bevilian schools have changed, they have calcified over time with different areas of study jealously guarding their areas of expertise and attempting to fit different subjects into Procrustean beds.Return to Education
In most areas, rulers and high priests could no longer rely upon an educated populace, and the priests of the main Fultonian Religion's gods began to establish schools associated with their temples to provide them with an educated clergy. Thus, the temples of Tya Nehru, Hantithenus, and Sennia established their own schools and educational systems. Few Temple Schools still exist, as most have transformed themselves into Universities, and the remaining Temple Schools either teach students too young for university or in areas without a formal university but either the population or strong religious center that warrants a formal educational institution.These early Temple Schools focused on apprenticeship in religious learning under a scholarly priest. While originally the function of such schools was to train priests, later they taught lay students as well—usually boys and girls of noble families being prepared for high positions in church, state, or commercial affairs. Most temples had such a school; there were generally fewer than 100 students in a school. Although the boys and girls who were sent there were children of the nobility who may or may not have had an interest in clerical life, much of the schools' curriculum focused on teaching them to read and write, and preparing them to join the ranks of the temples.
The Temple Schools become great repositories of knowledge, in that many of the books of the day (particularly religious texts) were copied by hand in monastic scriptoria and stored in their libraries. On the secular side, young men and women of privilege, were instructed at court, learning to read and write; but their education was rarely broad or extensive. While distinct from the Palace Schools, which educated the young men and women of the ruling class on military and court tactics, the Temple Schools were often similar to the Monastic Schools, which were part of monasteries. The Temple Schools were specifically designed to provide an academic education in the service of the priesthood, and later secular world, while the Monastic Schools were a natural outgrowth of monastic service. Most Monastic Schools were monks of Tya Nehru.
The Final Formation of the Schools
Three important historical events and figures in the foundation of Temple Schools include the educational policies of King Magne and the Matriarch Geneva, high priestess of Tya Nehru, and the establishment of the cult of Ohgma. The Fultonian King Magne recognized the recognized the importance of education to the priests and, to a lesser extent, to the nobility, set out to bolster the new temple schools by issuing several decrees requiring that education be provided at monasteries and temples. King Magne understood that the only way to keep his empire flourishing was through education. He started with the Palace Schools, where he expanded the curriculum to include the liberal arts, and funded the Temple Schools.
The high priestess of Tya Nehru, the Matriarch Geneva, was a significant figure in the establishment of Fultonian universities when she mandated the creation of Temple Schools to educate the priests. The establishment of the cult of Ohgma was another important event in the establishment of formal education in Fultar. The temples of Ohgma, as the god of education and knowledge, quickly established many Temple Schools, which surpassed in number of schools of all gods, other than Tya Nehru. Many lay students who were not necessarily interested in seeking a career in a temple wanted to enroll. Demand arose for schools to teach government, state, and other temple affairs. Pupils had to demonstrate substantial intelligence and be able to handle a demanding academic course load. Considering that books were also expensive, students were in the practice of memorizing their teachers' lectures. Temple schools at this time were primarily run by a group of ministers and divided into two parts: Schola minor which was intended for younger students would later become elementary schools. Then there was the schola major, which taught older students. These would later become secondary schools and universities.
