Role and Responsibilities of Guru In ancient Times | Pathshalas, Maqtabs, Madarashas

Role and Responsibilities of Guru In ancient Times | Pathshalas, Maqtabs, Madarashas

In ancient Times, Guru had to perform variety of roles for the students like parent, teacher, scholar, missionary, a friend-philosopher and a guide. He was to pay personal attention to the needs of the students. It was a responsibility of Guru to see that the student develops, makes progress to the satisfaction of Guru as well as to his own satisfaction.There used to be very intimate relationship between teacher and the taught-like father and son.

Teaching method was oral interaction- a dialogue between teacher and the taught. Lectures, discourses, a debates and discussions, recitation and recapitulation were part of routine daily student life. Assessment was continuous comprehensive assessment internally conducted by Guru. There were no terminal examinations, no degree-certificates, but announcing by the Guru in the convocation that the student has graduated after completion of the stipulated studies. Guru would present the qualified student to a gathering of learned people who may ask questions, or the student would be asked to contest in debate and prove himself. Then the student would be known for his mastery over the subject and accepted as a scholarly person.

Autonomy of the learner was respected. Student was free to choose the Guru and the subject of study. At the same time, it was a prerogative of the Guru, the teacher, whether to accept the student (Shishya) or not.

Must Read:

Ancient Indian Education- A brief overview

• 1.1 Concept of ‘Guru’ of the yore.
• 1.2 Role and responsibilities of Guru
• 1.3&4 Professional teacher of today | Characteristics, roles and responsibilities of teacher

You will find that the educational institutions were formally got established in the form of centers for higher learning during Buddhist period in monasteries and temples. These places developed into big establishments during King Asoka’s times as counterpart of Hindu Gurukuls. They became residential universities; clusters of teachers / gurus and students living and working together in pursuit of knowledge. They engaged themselves in creation, conservation and dissemination of knowledge-three functions of modern university – teaching, research and extension. Admissions were through the entrance test, very hard one at well known places of higher education like, Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Vallabhi, Nadia, Kanchi, Banaras, etc. These centers attracted students from all over India and even abroad.

Gurukula continued imparting instruction in individual capacity not as an institution. Like pathshalas, during the medieval period, maqtabs for lower education and madarashas for higher education, were established in the mosques for imparting religious Islamic education - part of holy Koran - to Muslim children by the Mullahs and Moulawis. This arrangement continued till the East India Company entered India and established itself as a controlling authority in many regions.