PEDAGOGICAL THOUGHT AND EDUCATION IN ANCIENT EASTERN CIVILIZATIONS

The article discusses school education, upbringing, and pedagogical thought in ancient civi¬lizations such as Ancient Egypt, India, and China. In Ancient Egypt, family upbringing played a crucial role. Education was multi-stage, and schools were mainly attended by the children of pharaohs, high nobles, and wealthy families. In Ancient India, education and upbringing varied among castes. Education was mandatory for the sons of higher castes (priests, warriors, and farmers). Students lived in the teacher-guru’s house and memo¬rized Vedic texts. With the emergence of Buddhism, monasteries provided education opportunities for eve¬ryone. In Ancient China, the first schools were called "syan" and "syuy." Education was accessible only to children from wealthy families and covered six arts: morality, writing, arithmetic, music, archery, and horse riding. Learning hieroglyphic writing was the primary goal. Confucius (551–479 BCE) based his school on dialogue and example.