There were three levels of education in ancient Rome: the first taught the basic skills needed to find employment, the second refined writing skills and taught Greek, while the third and final level prepared the student for upper-class positions by teaching rhetoric, law, politics, etc. Practically all Romans were taught to read and write at an early age, but education beyond the core fundamentals was typically reserved for wealthy male children. Private tutors were also reserved for the wealthy; lower-class Romans were taught in schools by formal instructors known as litterators.
In Ancient Greece the education at the university level was divided into two main components which were the trivium and the quadrivium. The trivium consisted of grammar, rhetoric, and logic. However, logic was refocused and renamed dialectics. Girls in wealthier families might have been taught to read but, most stayed at home and learned how to do housework. This was not the same everywhere, though. In Sparta, for example, girls had more freedom and they were taught how to fight.
Formal education in ancient Japan began with the adoption of Chinese culture, in the 6th century. Buddhist and Confucian teachings as well as sciences, calligraphy, divination and literature were taught at the courts of Asuka, Nara and Heian. Scholar officials were chosen through an Imperial examination system. Education of commoners was generally practically oriented, providing basic training in reading, writing, and arithmetic, emphasizing calligraphy and use of the abacus. Much of this education was conducted in so-called temple schools (terakoya), derived from earlier Buddhist schools.
Education in medieval England was largely centred around religion and was almost exclusively for the children of wealthy families. There were monastic and cathedral schools, where students were taught Latin and often prepared for a life in the church. Knights also received a different kind of education. It was usually men, clergymen and monks, who worked in the Roman Catholic Church (the Church) who were the most educated members of Medieval society. For this reason, the king often had to rely on clergymen to assist him in governing the country.