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CHAPTER   EDUCATION DURING THE LATE EDO AND EARLY MEIJI PERIODS

The Middle and Elementary School Regulations envisioned that these schools would provide the initial training for those destined to enter the university and later become the national elite. At the same time, there was a plan for another type of elementary school that could serve as an instrument of general education for the ordinary citizen, as suggested in the Prefectural Administration Order (Fuken Shisei Junjo) proclaimed on March 17, 1869, by the Administration Council (Gyoseikan). The new Meiji government was fully aware of the necessity for such institutions and of their importance in securing a firm base for a modern nation. The curriculum of these schools was to consist mainly of subjects necessary for everyday life such as reading, writing and arithmetic. These schools were to be virtually identical to the former terakoya with the exception that civic and moral instruction was also included. Of importance also is the recognition on the part of the government of the necessity of providing education regardless of a student's social standing and of enabling students to achieve their aspirations. These regulations were the first indication of the government's intent to establish elementary schools for the general populace.