Today, we view education as one of the most basic responsibilities of any government towards its citizens. Moreover, we realize that an educated population is beneficial for its country. Ignorant people are generally limited in personal achievement and in their contribution to society. The benefits of education are obvious. The question is: Were they also obvious to the people of antiquity?

Let's return to the average peasants who constituted the overwhelming majority of the population. Consider all the people who lived during the past 5,000 years collectively.

99% ILLITERACY

Historians estimate that less than 1 percent of the people were literate. This means that over 99% of all humanity throughout history has been functionally illiterate.

Even the most advanced societies, like Greece and Rome, which did have a rudimentary education system, did not have free public education for the masses. Why was the majority of humanity uneducated?

There are two main reasons for mass illiteracy throughout history. The first relates to the practical realities of life and the second to the deliberate policies of governments:

Survival

Controlling The Masses

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