Actions

Education in Mugroba

From ThornsWiki

Some level of formal education is common for every race in Mugroba, and literacy rates are high. Education tends to be fairly separate by race, with some (modern, partial) overlap between galdori and imbali, and some overlap between humans and wicks. In general, the lower races have much less education than galdori, but the average human or city-dwelling wick, however poor, will have some opportunities for education. In general, educational opportunities in the capital city of Thul Ka are much better than those outside, particularly for the lower races. The language of instruction is Estuan, with few exceptions.

More information about university education in Mugroba can be found by reading about Thul'Amat.

Education for Galdori

For most galdori, education starts in childhood and continues through age twenty or beyond.

Education at home before age ten is common but not universal; however, most galdori learn to read, write and do sums at home. Some start formal tutoring from a much younger age; others do not. There is considerable variation based on the family’s means, capabilities and interests. That said, it is a rare galdor who does not start with some education by the age of ten, and who does not at least attempt to attend Thul’Amat or another university.

Starting at age ten, many galdori begin attending preparatory schools; others continue to be educated by tutors at home. Most formal preparatory schools are associated with Thul’Amat, and located close to campus. Preparatory schools are a particularly common option for galdori from areas other than Thul Ka, although some galdori from Thul Ka also attend. At sixteen, most galdori will take the Telling of Vespe’s Blessing, a written and oral entrance exam for Thul’Amat.

Most galdori in Mugroba will attend Thul'Amat from age sixteen to twenty; many will go on to complete an honors project, or tseruh, which takes on average three years (but can take two to five). Despite the broader socioeconomic variation within Mugrobi galdori, there are enough scholarships and work study arrangements in place that it is extremely rare for a galdori to be unable to attend on the basis of cost alone. Some galdori attend schools outside Mugroba; others might not attend university in favor of private tutoring, be unable to finish for whatever reason, or simply not wish to go.

Education for Imbali

In childhood, imbala are educated in a variety of ways. There is a handful of preparatory schools affiliated with Thul’Amat which accept imbali alongside galdori, and some students attend these from age ten on. Day schools also exist in the Turtle and in most cities in the Muluku Islands (Laus Oma, for example). Wealthier imbala families tend to hire (imbali) tutors for at-home instruction.

In the last decades, Thul’Amat has opened its doors to imbali. Attending - and graduating - are more common than ever before. Not every imbala makes it to Thul’Amat; cost is often a prohibitive barrier. Most who do attend study at Ared’ur, where they learn trade skills; it is rare for an imbala to attend most other colleges, particularly the most exclusive. It is rarer still, although not unheard of, for an imbala to complete a tsureh.

There is no record of oshoori attending Thul’Amat, as they are considered imbali in society, and their casting is not legally considered “magic.” Whether any have slipped by — as imbali or even as galdori — is unknown; no galdor with a proven imbali ancestry would be admitted, even in modern times.

Prior to the end of the exile, local schools and private tutoring were the only options available to imbali for education, with local schools (then, as now) supported by donations from local wealthy imbala and parental fees. Many local schools have been in existence since before the end of exile; these days, there is a split between traditionalist and conservative schools, and most imbali choose where to send their children accordingly.

Among traditionalists, printmaking is still viewed as an appropriate and respectable occupation. To this end, Dzisú’lilaye, one of the Turtle’s oldest and most notorious institutions, exists. Having been established during the Exile, it is still dedicated to educating all imbali — with or without means, born on the Turtle or sent there by galdori families — and connecting them with apprenticeship opportunities, so long as they are willing to stay in the Turtle and pursue printmaking. In this way, traditionalists aim to keep the Turtle’s rich culture intact; post-Exile, they argue, young imbali are increasingly losing interest in the book trade. A number of wealthy Turtle families fund the institution.

Education for Humans

Humans in Mugroba do not have a formal higher education system. However, it is common for humans to access to community-supported schools; most humans have a few years of education, and literacy and numeracy rates are high.

Education for a human in Mugroba tends to look like four to eight days a week of schooling in a local community school from age seven to twelve, although some humans start later, skip years, or repeat years. In practice, schools split up students based on their level; this often but does not always correspond with age.

For a human in a more rural area, schooling might be more sporadic and distant. Schools do not exist in every community, meaning some children commute on foot or live with relatives to attend; most schools are one room, and few have more than one teacher. However, a few years of education is still common, even if children attend seasonally or only a few days a week; it is a rare area where children have no access to education at all. Most larger cities have at least one human school.

Chalk slates and other materials may be few and far apart, especially in rural schools; however, all Mugrobi human schools feed the children who attend a midday meal. These meals are usually provided in rotation by the parents of the children who attend, and consist of donations of raw foodstuffs and labor. Parents who can contribute more will do so. In practice, many rural schools also serve as de facto day cares; younger children living nearby will tag along with older siblings and sit in, even if they’re not old enough to ``attend.’’ Sometimes a woman or group of women will rotate between keeping an eye on the smaller children; sometimes not.

Many schools in Thul Ka will have a sponsor - a wealthier Mugrobi human who donates money to keep the school running, including salaries for teachers, space to meet in, and other necessities. In rural areas, teachers are sometimes paid in kind during difficult years. Since many schools do not meet daily, it’s common for teachers to garden at home, to tutor in addition to teaching if there are humans who can pay in the neighboring area, or to work elsewhere in the community.

Among wealthier humans, tutoring is widely practiced. Wealthy humans will employ human tutors and secretaries. There are a handful of schools in Thul Ka run by wealthy human families which admit the best students from local schools, and provide a higher caliber of education. The most impressive students from these schools will generally go on to work for these humans, running aspects of their businesses or as secretaries.

The most educated humans with no family business to run may go on to work for other, wealthier humans as secretaries or managers, tutors, or teachers; some will go on to start their own business in time. Apprenticeship programs are also widespread. There are few opportunities for any kind of true higher education among humans, self-study being essentially their only recourse.

Education for Wicks

Wicks in Mugroba see a good deal of variation in their education and their access to education. Many human schools will allow wick children to attend; some will not. A wick educated at a human school will generally need supplementary education in Monite and casting starting around age ten, usually provided by a family member or community elder. In Thul Ka and Manatse, where there are large stationary wick populations, there are wick-specific schools, run and supported by the wick communities.

Nomadic and rural wicks most often handle education within the kint. This tends to be much less formal and structured than even human education. In general, wick communities - especially the smaller ones - teach what they think children need to know. Extremely rural, isolated wick tribes might not bother with Estuan but for a few words, and would eschew more traditional education in favor of practical, hands-on learning related to herding, gardening, and other essential life skills; river-trading tribes might focus more on arithmetic, and not bother with reading and writing in Estuan, even if their children speak it. The one constant is Monite and casting; all wick tribes provide their children with some education there.