The history of education stretches back across eons to mankind's pre-historic origins. It was a natural and spontaneous response of early mankind to the necessity of survival – of the individual in particular & society in general.

The elders of a family or the community passed on knowledge about various aspects of life to the young in society. Over time, with cultural changes, these informal and into highly rigid and well-established norms that were the foundations of formal education system of today.

As cultures evolved, the gamut of knowledge extended beyond the confines of religious knowledge and knowledge related to basic species survival such as food gathering etc., to cover broader aspects of learning

Archaeological studies have shown that the Sumerian civilization, one of the oldest recorded ones, that flourished over 3,700 years ago had developed a schooling system that is remarkably similar to what we understand as formal education today. Using clay tablets for writing and established regulations governing training and discipline, the Sumerian schooling system bears all the hallmarks of a formal education system. Formal schooling systems are known to have been well established in the Egyptian civilization as far back as 3000 B.C.

While the idea of education has altered radically through time, it has always been the way civilizations have ensured sustained progress and development through the ages. Education as it exists today though is very different from the established education systems that have existed through time.

From oral tradition to written ones, education has evolved with the parallel development of mankind. While education today might be different from what existed eons ago, its is nevertheless an evolved science that cannot be differentiated from ancient educations systems.