Ways Education Was Affected by the Industrial Revolution

John Fenn
4 min readDec 16, 2019

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Industrial revolution in the 18th century in England, Europe, and North America marked the transition to new manufacturing processes and technologies. This saw the emergence of large factories and mass migration from rural areas to populated towns by people seeking jobs in these industries. It had both positive and negative effects on education.

What happens when you are asked to write an essay about the industrial revolution and its effects? You should focus more on how this era promoted the emergence of manufacturing companies and the creation of paying jobs. Also, focus on the rise of slums and increased rural-urban migration.

How was Education Affected by the Industrial Revolution?

The establishment of large manufacturing companies in Europe and America marked new dawn, especially in the energy and agricultural sectors. This brought about the invention of new machinery that was used in the processing plants as well as new farming techniques. It led to the invention of new technology, which in turn led to mass industrialization.

Education is one of the impacts that you must include in your essay on industrial revolution. With industrial revolution also came changes to the education system. Although some were negative, most of these effects were positive. Some of the most notable effects of this era to education include these below.

1. Establishment of training schools

The mass growth of industries from textile to energy-based saw the need for more competent workers to work in the factories and manufacturing plants. It brought about the need to have schools to train people on how to work with the newly invented machinery. Many training schools were established all around Europe and America.

2. Specialization in career

Before the industrial revolution, students were only taught the basic arithmetic concepts. However, this era brought the need to specialize in different fields of profession. It allowed people to choose a profession in which to specialize. Some of the earliest industrial specialization fields are:

· Textile industry.

· Energy production.

· Medical field.

3. Mandatory education for all

Education was made compulsory for all children up to the age of 10. This meant that every child, whether from a rich or poor background, had a chance to access education. Before industrial revolution, only children from wealthy families would have the luxury of going to school. It changed after and became inclusive to all.

4. Women were allowed to access education

During the Industrial Revolution, women were also allowed to access education. However, education was still based on different gender roles that saw women learn lessons like cookery, needlework, and housewifery. We, however, cannot fail to recognize it as a step in the right direction as far as gender equality in education was concerned.

5. Establishment of higher institutes of learning

Apart from teaching the basic elementary skills of how to read and write, higher institutions of learning were also established. They mostly dealt with specialized fields and led to the rise of highly qualified experts that would continue inventing new technologies which we use now.

6. Increased government support on education

In Britain, the government became more involved in the education sector by using more funds to ensure that its citizens were literate. As a result, many schools developed and libraries were established for people to access information easily.

When working on an industrial revolution essay, you should include the steps taken by the British government to make sure education was enhanced in that era.

7. Child labor

It is a demerit that came with Industrial revolution. The government allowed children to work in the industries despite them being too young to work and untrained. This meant that the children were exploited and paid very minimal wages for the work they did. To curb this, the government made it compulsory for industries to provide a 2-hour training.

8. Exploration of new education avenues

New careers, such as transport and communication, were established. In this field, students would work towards inventing new and effective ways to travel on land and water. This led to the rapid growth of the transport system through the invention of quality roads and automobiles that were faster and stronger than their predecessors.

9. Training of teachers

Colleges were also established to train teachers to be employed in the new schools. The increase in a number of tutors led to an increase in the number of learners in the institutions. It is a move that improved literacy levels in Europe and America.

Conclusion

Students need to learn and understand more about the Industrial Revolution and its impacts. It is very important as you may be required to write positive and negative effects of the industrial revolution essay by your lecturer. Understand what is expected of you in such a paper; do not go in clueless.

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