Schools and educational institutions of one form or another have been around for thousands of years. It was not, however, until the 19th Century (in Europe anyway) that education became available to the majority of children – rich and poor. As the middle classes got bigger, universal education was encouraged, and eventually became compulsory for children.
Education for the privileged had evolved over many centuries to meet the needs of court, nobility, high office in Church and State, and the aristocracy. The education for the masses followed the same general model but instead of preparation for aristocratic needs it evolved to meet the needs of industry and the rapidly expanding world of business (what we have referred to already as the corporate world).
I believe a major reason why the middle classes’ increased awareness of rights, morality, justice etc. did not challenge the values of the ruling classes was because ruling class values permeated through the education system, from baby infants to post-graduate University students.
In fairness I don’t believe that the ruling classes got together in the early 1800’s and said let’s control the education system. (Or maybe a small segment of them did – I just don’t know)!
Crucially, the education model that evolved did little to draw out [1] the creativity, intelligence or critical thinking of growing children.
After all, the last thing that either the new get-rich-quick corporate businessmen (or, indeed, the old traditional born-into-wealth families) needed were poor children who would read widely and grow up to be thinkers that would become aware of injustice and then have sufficient knowledge and insight to be critical of the establishment that was perpetuating that injustice.
(Undoubtedly, despite the influence of such norms, many children did grow up to be independent critical thinkers, but their views were not often promoted in the top echelons of society).
So despite the noble ideas, ideals and hard work of many wonderful teachers and educators, (of which there have been many), sadly, the paradigm of education in Europe was (generally) riven with class difference, competitiveness, regimentation, manipulation, violence, severe punishment, cruelty, mockery and unquestioning obedience, indeed, all the disingenuous room values described in a previous post that the wealthy needed to keep their agenda to the fore.
[1]. The word education is rooted in the Latin verb, educare, which in addition to meaning to train or to teach also means to lead or to draw out.