Primitive and

Sumerian Education
Prepared by: Lyreen Jolly V.
Gonzales
Primitive
Education
I. AIMS OF PRIMITIVE EDUCATION
Security and to prepare the young to secure himself and his
family and to appease the gods or spirits that
survival controlled his existence.

Conformity
Conformity brought together families, clans and
tribes so that they could conquer common dangers.

Enculturation
the imposing of group characteristics upon children;
transfer culture from one generation to another

http://rugdollsjourneytohappiness.blogspot.com/2009/03/aims-of-
 II. TYPES OF EDUCATION
HUNTING &
VOCATIONAL GROWING
FOODS
BUILDING
SHELTERS
RELIGIOUS SELF-
DEFENSE

LEARNING HOW TO
PARTICIPATE IN RITUALISTIC
PRACTICES TO PLEASE OR
 III. CONTENT TO BE STUDIED

SUPERSTITIONS THE
Ways of procuring
how to WORSHIP before BASIC NECESSITIES in
the dwelling of an unseen life and of PROTECTING
spirit such as big tree, a big LIFE FROM
rock, a river, a big bush, etc.
DANGERS
IV. AGENCIES OF EDUCATION
PARENTS ARE THE
HOME TEACHERS

EXPERIENCES THRU
ENVIRONMENT
INVOLVEMENTS TO
THE ENVIRONMENT.
V. ORGANIZATION OF GRADES

There was none.

Primitive people learn
through informal
education.
VI. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
Informal instruction- merely enculturation of
characteristics, skills, and knowledge upon
children

Observation and imitation from

parents
Simple telling and demonstration-
this is lecture demonstration

Participation- children participated in

the work of their parents and they
VII. FINANCING
There was no financing involved
since there was no teacher to pay,
no learning materials to buy, and
no school to construct because
education was strictly informal.
VIII. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO
EDUCATION

The primitive man started the

essentials of education from
which evolved the modern
educational systems of today.
Sumerian
Education
I. AIMS OF SUMERIAN EDUCATION
1. Training of scribes- trained to do
ecclesiastical work in temples mostly
writing.
2. Training of bookkeepers- to record
their multifarious business transactions

3. Training of teachers
4. Training the learners to be good and to do
good things especially to their God and to
humanity called namlulu.
 arithmetic including counting and little grammar, giving names
cuneiform operations of low digit numbers to many things

Writing Mathematical Language

Education Education Education

poetry, epics,
II. TYPES OF EDUCATION essays, fables,
music, jewelry
designing, sculpture
and architecture.

Vocational Professional Art

Education Education Education
apprenticeship for the workers medicine and surgery, law,
astronomy and architecture
III. CONTENT TO BE STUDIED
Jewelry designing in
Reading, writing, gold, copper and silver,
little arithmetic sculpture, literary art
Astronomy for predicting Vocational training
the planting and reaping includes carpentry, ship
seasons, astrology,
building
medicine and surgery.
Architecture, In law, some simple
agriculture and rules and regulations
to be obeyed
 IV. AGENCIES OF EDUCATION
Home Parents are their teachers

School consisted of six rooms with

walls 8 to 9 feet high

more elaborate. They had big

Temple school halls.

schools for highly skilled craftsmen in

beautiful artworks in gold, silver and copper,
Apprentice schools sculpture, architecture and in metal works
 V. ORGANIZATION OF GRADES
tu
ta

1 writing
ti
tu-ta-ti
nu
na
techniques
2
ni
nu-na-ni
numbers, thematic noun
measurements,
and common lists
formulas used in
economic 3 advanced
contracts
lists
4
students began working with full
sentences in Sumerian. They copied
out model contracts and legal texts – simple Sumerian
e.g., contracts documenting the sale
of houses. texts
VI. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION

Imitation and copying what

the teacher had written and
followed by minimal
explanation.

Preparation of tablets- the

main works of the learners
that dealt with their lessons
VII. FINANCING
The costly tuition ensured that
only boys of wealthy families
could afford to acquire any level
of Mesopotamian education.
The sons of the nobility,
government officials, priests and
rich merchants went to school
from dawn to dusk each day.
(History on the Net, 2021)
VIII. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO
EDUCATION

Sumerian’ s outstanding
contribution to education and
especially to civilization was its
cuneiform writing and formal school
system.

https://www2.slideshare.net/sqjafery/foundationofeducationhistory?
INSIGHTS
SLmt+

[sa-la-ma-t]
 Prepared to:
Virgina O. Verde, Ph. D

EDUC 302
Foundation of Education