Paragraph on “What was a Victorian education like?” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

What was a Victorian education like?

While Britain was the richest country in the world during the reign of Queen  Victoria (1837-1901) there were many people who were very poor and life was hard for them. Many country people went  to live in towns during the nineteenth century because there was work for them in the newly built factories. Housing conditions were often appalling and children were forced to work in the factories so that the family could survive.     

As the nineteenth century progressed, more and more people  in Britain felt that child labour in the factories was wrong, and laws were passed which made it compulsory for children to attend schools. These schools were very different  from the ones that you know today. Generally , they consisted of one large room, where children of all ages gathered under the supervision of their teachers, they were divided into class, and their lessons were not very interesting. Children had to learn everything by heart- this used to include such things as the rivers of Britain, the oceans of the world and mathematical tables. As you can imagine, most children learned very little and understand  even less !

Children of richer parents were a little more fortunate. Boy and girls started their education with a governess. Often she was responsible for the entire education of the girls, while the boys had a tutor when they were older. The tutor would prepare the boys for entry to public school at thirteen years old. Most public schools were boarding schools where the sons of the wealthy were educated for later study at university.

Most Victorian girls were trained by their governess to be ‘accomplished’. This meant that they could probably speak a little French, play a musical instrument, embroider well and be proficient in painting and drawing. However, some parents came to believe that this was not enough and, by the 1850’s, the first public school for girls was opened    in England. It was at schools like Cheltenham Ladies College, where girls first received a proper academically-based education. This led to pressure for them to be admitted to the universities and later women began to enter the professions.