Traditional Education is also called customary education or conventional education. The main motive of traditional education is to pass on the values, manners skills and the social practice to the next generation which is necessary for their survival. In traditional education, the student learns about the customs and tradition of the society in which he lives. This type of educated is mostly imparted to the students by the means of oral recitation. There is very less written work or practical work. The students simply sit down together and listen to the teacher or another who will recite the lesson. The traditional does not include written tests but it includes some oral tests which are not very formal. Traditional education is very far from the use of science and technology. Neither the education about the sciences we study today in a great detail is imparted in the traditional education system. Traditional education system basically included the knowledge about customs, traditions, and religions. That is why it is called traditional education.
Modern Education is very different from the traditional education. The education which is taught in the schools today is the modern education. Modern education teaches about the skills required today that is the skills of science and technology, the science of medical science etc. In addition to listening, the modern education includes writing, visualizing, imagining, and thinking skills. This type of education also includes written tests to examine if the students are learning properly or not. This is done in a very formal way. The methodology used for teaching is very interactive. Modern education is just an evolution of the traditional education which was imparted to the students a few years back.
Traditional Education vs. Modern Education
Traditional and modern educations are both related to each other and different from each other also. In the early history of our country, there was a time where there were no schools. The children acquired the education or knowledge from their ancestors. At that time this knowledge focused only on the skills required for survival. The people who lived in jungles got the education from their ancestors who taught them how to hunt animals for their food, how to use animal skins for different purposes, how to make tools. They were taught about their rituals or the customs they followed. They were taught about the religions the followed. They taught them the stories of their gods and kings from which they could learn good morals. We can say that there was no proper system of education at that time. The kings used to send their sons to schools which were called gurukuls in India. In these gurukuls, they were taught how to use different weapons, how to protect themselves and how to attack their enemies. They were also taught the basic principle of ruling an empire. These types of schools were not meant for the local population. It could only be accessed by the royal families. The rest of the children in the empire learnt the skill which their parents possessed from them. As the democratic government was established in the coming years, the importance of education spread throughout the country. Schools were opened where any kind of students could come and learn. This was the establishment of modern education. This was also the time when science and technology were starting to grow more. New technologies were invented. Many theories came up. Then the time came when these technologies and theories were being widely used in day to day life. The new theories of mathematics were formulated which became important to be taught to the children, the education curriculum started including these theories in them. This moulded the education. And this was how the modern education came into existence. The modern education started to replace the traditional education. This was not accepted by all the people in the society. People thought that the modern education was not good for their children as they did not teach about the religions or traditions and customs. So the modern education did not reach all the children. But slowly and gradually, the modern education was accepted by all the people. And today modern education has reached new heights. With the use of science and technology in the teaching methods, education has become all the way more fun, easy and interesting for the students.
We can say that the modern education is just a new version or the up gradation of the traditional education. Modern education is derived from traditional education. Here is a comparison between the modern education and traditional education.
The Scenario Now and Then: The scenario of education which now is totally different from the scenario which was a few years back. At that time modern education was not considered good and today traditional education is not considered enough. As the needs of the people are changing, the education system also has to change. And this change should be accepted by the people. Earlier the people used to teach their children how to fulfil their needs. This was the basic aim behind education. And the aim now is still the same. The only thing which has changed is the need of people. With the passing time, the things which were a luxury at that time have formed the basic needs now. As the needs grew, the education had to grow. If the education did not evolve, then it would be difficult to fulfil the needs of today. Today we have so many things in our house which are for our own convenience. We have washing fans, lights, washing machines, cars, fridge, television, and many more all these items would have never existed if the education was not reformed. The aim of education is still the same but not the scenario of life. A man will want more, the education will grow more. It is possible that the needs of people will grow to that extent that the education will be more reformed after fifty or a hundred years that what we are learning now would be considered totally useless then.
Equality in Education: Traditional education which was provided in schools was not meant for all the children. There was a lot of discrimination among the children. It was considered that education was meant for only high society people. The children who belonged to the families of lower society were not allowed to enter the schools. The traditional education was not meant for everyone. The modern education is accessible by all. Anyone can take admission to a school and learn the modern education. We can say that it is because of the modern education that modern education is accessible by all the children. As the modern education spread, the principle of equality was taught. Every person was started to be considered equal. This lead to the equality in the education.
Today, we have reached a time when all the children no matter what their caste is, no matter what their religion is, no matter what society they belong, everyone sits together in a classroom and study together. This was not seen in the traditional education which was not accessible by all. Moreover, traditional education was not taught to the girls in the society. But the modern education does not follow gender discrimination. Girls and boys have equal right to gain the education.
The Knowledge Imparted: As mentioned above, in the traditional education the students are taught about traditions, customs, rituals, and religion. In the modern education, the students are taught about science, technology, language skills, and mathematics etc. the knowledge imparted in the traditional education system was enough for one’s own living, but it was not enough to match the whole world. There was no proper system of education. Every student was educated in a different way. There was no uniformity in what was being taught to the students. The modern education is also not enough. With the passing time, everything is becoming outdated and there is a need to expand the modern education now and then.
Teaching Methodology: the teaching methodology used in the modern education is definitely better than that of the traditional education. It is more interesting and understandable. It focuses on understanding a topic, not cramming it.
Which is better Traditional Education or Modern Education?
Both the types of education have their own place and importance. We cannot declare any type of education good or bad. The traditional was good in its period and the modern education is good in its period. Actually, it depends on the person. It depends on what the person wants to learn. If a person wants to learn about his customs and religion, then definitely traditional education is better for him. On the other hand, if a person wants to learn about science or mathematics, then modern education is good for him. Both the type of the educations is equally important. Traditional educated is often associated with our culture. And it is good or we can say it is important to learn about own culture. Everyone should what are their traditions, culture and the stories and beliefs of their religion. In the same way, it is equally important to catch up with the world in terms of the modern developments which are occurring today. This describes the importance of modern education. Modern education is required to stay in touch with the whole world and to see what is happening in the world. But with the increasing importance of modern education traditional education is being overlooked which is wrong. If we will totally neglect the traditional education our culture will become extinct. No one would have any knowledge about their own culture. We have to preserve our culture for the future generation. For this, we have to learn what our culture is. For this purpose, traditional education is important.
Conclusion
We cannot conclude that which education is better because both the types have their own importance. Both the types are also similar to each and different to each other. Modern education is inherited from the traditional education. But due to modern education, traditional education is being neglected which would result in losing our culture. The traditional education and the modern education, both should be given equal importance.
