Renowned for bringing up effective and lasting change in the social-economic scenario of the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era is considered to be a landmark in the development of the country. Every element of life ranging from fashion to art met with an efficient change in this period.
Women were slowly gaining on social equality and soon became key members of the English society. The most important change was perhaps in the field of education which came up with such policies which were never part of the English education system before.
A high point in the educational reforms was the introduction of compulsory education till the age of 14. The previous norms had fixed this age a 12 but realizing the gravity of education in development, the Edwardian era felt it essential to bring about this change.
Another landmark in the development of education was the serious consequences of child labour. The judiciary started dealing with this social epidemic very seriously and children were no more allowed to work under the age specified.
The whole education system started to review themselves as regards the content and context of their study material. Lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic became compulsory to all. Sewing lessons were specially tailored for girls. Realizing the importance of health and care physical education was also made part of the curriculum of all school students across UK.
Politics was another important subject of discussion in schools though at the secondary level. However, the education system of boys and girls hadn’t been equalized yet. Boys were given a somewhat efficient education but girls were brought up with the aim of getting married in the high society.
Their education was merely restricted to their knowledge of singing, dancing, playing musical instruments like the piano and knowing languages like French and German. Elegance in carrying yourself was considered an added virtue. The provision of scholarships was introduced for secondary education.
Students qualifying for such scholarship were funded by the state or their respective schools for secondary education. It was during this time that those in high positions realized the virtues of educating the masses. Children would go on to shaping the future of mankind and ignoring their education was definitely something uncalled for.
The government, in particular, started showing special interest in the education system. Setting up of education board and granting special funds to schools for maintenance and upgrade clearly showed their eagerness in getting the masses educated.