The citizens of the early Roman Republic enjoyed an education
system similar to ancient Athens. It was voluntary and parents
paid tutors or schools directly. There was very little
government interference, so a vibrant education free market of
tutors, schools, and apprenticeships developed.
One aspect of Roman society that compromised their education
system was that Roman parents wanted their children to learn
knowledge that only Greek teachers could provide. However, most
Greeks in Rome at the time were slaves.
As a result, the Greek teachers could not personally or
financially benefit by their work. Often their morale was low
and they were subject to harsh discipline. Unlike the free
teachers in ancient Athens, Greek slave-teachers in Rome had
little incentive to innovate or continually improve their
skills. As a result, the quality of education stagnated.
Also, a majority of the Roman population was slaves, both from
Greece and other areas Rome had conquered. Naturally, these
slaves had no rights and no control over their children’s
education.
Things got worse after Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C.
and Emperor Augustus took power. The quasi-democratic Republic
turned into the dictatorial Roman Empire and was ruled by a
succession of Emperors. To secure their power, each succeeding
Emperor then tightened their grip on education. They
increasingly regulated education, suppressed teachers who spoke
against the Emperor, and eventually required teachers of Greek
and Latin rhetoric to be licensed and paid by the State. The
quality of education in Rome then grew progressively worse.
The parallels with the history of education in America are
striking. Here too, when our education system was voluntary and
parents paid teachers and schools directly, we had a
high-quality, constantly improving education system. After state
governments created compulsory public schools, education in
America has been going down-hill ever since.
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