HISTORY ANALYSIS

While observing the two Universities, we see the clear influence of Buddhism, for
example, the autobiography of Faxin in the case of Takshashila University, where
he highlighted Buddhist practices at the site, description of local Buddhist
monasteries and Buddhist monks in the region, and the teachings and rituals
practiced by them. As for Nalanda University, a vast amount of what came to
comprise Tibetan Buddhism, both its Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, stems
from the teachers and traditions at Nalanda.

Women’s education was also considered important in the ancient education system,
but only in the areas of housekeeping, dancing, and music and not in the
conventional fields like that of a man. This is a situation that has ameliorated in the
modern education system where enrollment of women in primary and higher
education universities has considerably improved. And thus women find no
reference during the time of these ancient universities.

Upon comparison between the two universities, we see that Nalanda University
was considered a more conventional university because it conducted stiff
examinations, and only upon clearing them could someone be admitted into the
university or be transferred to the next level and also due to substantial evidence of
university architecture like a library and stupas. Whereas Takshashila was not
regarded as a university in the modern sense because there was no centralized
system of schooling or syllabus and did not award degrees to its students. The
entire education system there was flexible and was modified according to a
student’s capabilities. But one level on which both the universities are
undistinguishable is the importance given to merit and knowledge at both places.
We have not found caste or varna to be a prerequisite for admission at both places
because both conducted their examinations. But also at a time when the Vedas and
the varna system and Bhramanical values were highly prevalent, this information
can also not be taken at face value.

But when these universities and areas were plundered and ransacked by rulers, they
came to an end, and with the coming of the British empire, they brought their way
of the education system, and subsequently, education came to be categoriesed by
rote learning and examinations where students were just learning to compete with
each other and no practical knowledge was gained. Thus our education system
needs to learn from the ancient and medieval systems, regarding the
implementation of practical knowledge, student-teacher relations, imporatance of
debate and discussion and need for flexibility based on student capability in the
curriculum.