Education Policy in Two Different Countries Essay

Education Policy in devil Different CountriesIntroduction These refers to the principles and policies made by the government in the expanse of showment, collection of rules and laws that govern the operations carried expose in the training system. Education is a form of learning where knowlight-emitting diodege, habits and skills of a particular assort of people atomic yield 18 transmitted from generation to generation by means of training, education or carrying tabu a research. It occurs in divergent forms such(prenominal)(prenominal) as formal, informal and non-formal with varied purposes from institutions of learning like colleges/universities, professional information and graduate, job training and adult fosterageal activity. When implementing rearing in a addicted country, education policies be ostensibly known that they can affect education that people engage in directly at tout ensemble ages. They carry to be critically analyzed for effective learning under(a) contrastive argonas in the field of conducts such as the coat of enlighten to be constructed, shallow choice, certification and instructor education, tame privatization under education insurance insurance(Ball, 2009, 89), tracking, teaching methods, graduation requirements, curricular content, investment in the school infrastructure, and the values institutions are postulate to uphold and model. Analysis of education form _or_ system of government is a scholarly study that seeks to give answers of different questions such as the purpose of education, personal and societal objectives that education is designed to attain, methods to be economic consumptiond in attaining such objectives and tools applied in measuring their failure or success. Intended research of informing educational indemnity is done in a wide variety of learning institutions and several academic disciplines. Beneficial researchers are affiliated with different departments such as economics, psychology, human development and sociology, departments and schools of education/ existence indemnity. Different countries see different educational policies tally to the objectives and goals that education is expected to contact. This essay critically evaluates issues concerning education policy in England and USA.Education policy in England Research shows that inequalities in education (Bunar, 2010 p.10) had erupted before schools were started for the children. The data provided by OECD displayed a advanceder percentage of individuals finishing tertiary education in many countries if their parents reached tertiary train of education. In many countries, educational inequalities continue to amplify where people who demand acquired education at higher levels have high possibilities of doing jobs which are non-formal. The question that prevails is whether the existing educational policies are minimizing these gaps. Are they relevant at their level of carrying into action? T he essay reviews the truth about policies at the school level in England this is due to the number of long time one spends in school which is compulsory and plays an important design towards government intervention and it is conducted in a way that affects potentially all students. Recently, England started a true dead body of evaluating research of policies at school-level. The military rank of these policies is ground on school resources efficacy, market incentives, pedagogical approaches and school autonomy for raising growth of education in schools. Since 1988, education system had one key character under The Education Act, which has led to the implementation and designing a number of policies in education with an aim of up(p) standards of education and movement. A good number of policies have been introduced at each stage of education, and a number of these policies have been evaluated. This gives an opportunity for a critical appraisal on such military ratings and the scope of different policies that have influenced achievement of education. These ratings aim at the different ways of enhancing performance and cut back inequalities in education.Educational inequalities in England These inequalities in the achievement of education can be differently identified at some points in individuals lives. However, these educational inequalities emerge at an early stage in the lifecycle and widen the gap as progress in education rate is experienced. This description of the inequalities is aimed at motivating the evaluation of policies in education, which are used to alleviate inequalities in education and minimize achievement gaps, which is an important research in the field of education. Under this description, individual follows an ordered educational sequence which comprises of historic period in pre-school, compulsory schooling years, post-compulsory level of education and lastly to adult.Gaps in pre-school education Initially we focused on the educa tional achievement gaps being stick even before students started exhalation to school. These gaps are created by the environments they grow in, family backgrounds and different non-cognitive and cognitive levels of skills children have when entering school. Studies conducted under vocabulary skills (Lervag, 2010 p. 615) shows thither is high dispersion of a number of sizeable gaps existing in gender and ethnic groups at the time of entering school.Compulsory school At the stage of compulsory schooling, the gaps that were on that point at the school entry evolve. Where some widens while other(a)s narrow as abilities of children at school makes them move either up or down the outcomes of the educational distribution. This can be affected by policies of education with the scope of bear on achievement in education.Education at post-compulsory level This level of education is strongly impinged by the disadvantages of education acquired during compulsory schooling and the pre-school years. It charms whether an individual continues with education in post-compulsory level or not. This level is strongly opinionated by the education level of their parents.Adult learning Inequalities of education continue to increase even when a student completes full-time education. They extend to adults in their live of working as their training and education occurs and broadly to those who have acquired higher levels of education. Under those stages of education, it is evident that inequalities in education emerge and exists at all levels in the sequence. Some gaps widen as individuals progresses more(prenominal)(prenominal) through the sequence of education especially those associated with disadvantages of schooling in urban areas are less compared to those in rural areas. This calls for a significant and a careful evaluation of the policies of education designed to affect educational inequalities. The educational policies raft introduced to the England system of education fifteen years ago provides a good tick offting for evaluation methods and their success and thus provides a better disposition of educational work.Policy evaluation regarding to England school Although these policies at all levels of lifecycle are important for improving acquirement in education and ine superior reduction, the policies of school-level ought to be focused on in the England system of education. This is because compulsory years of schooling give an important time for the intervention of the government. It also acts as a good body of evaluation of the research policies in England. This calls for selective areas of policy with a critical appraisal which is rigorous. The by-line are headings of policy discussion and their methods of evaluation. School resources refer to perennial debates concerning educational literature of economics of whether if the expenditure of the school is increased will have an effect on improving pupil attainment (Peters, 2009 p.1). Research o n whether the implantation of such policies can reduce the types of attainment gaps experienced earlier. The relevance of such implementation is to determine whether additional expenditure can lead to cost effective in developed countries at the ordinary levels. Inter guinea pig research indicated that there is no good relationship between student outcomes and resources. However, some puts more efforts on studies particularly with methodological design with corroboratory impacts. The challenge faced in the implementation of this policy is that school resources are always allocated disproportionately to disadvantaged students. If this issue is not dealt with fully in methodological design, the way resources and attainment are related with one another will be easily obscured. censorious evaluation shows that favorable association between educational disadvantages and school resources is counter-balanced to the unfavorable association between educational attainment and educational d isadvantage. This clearly indicates that association between educational attainment and school resources is very low, and there is no true reflection of casual relationship. There is the fact that the implementation of controlled randomized experiments has been impossible, researchers have give it difficult to prove that such a problem has been solved. Being the biggest category of expenditure of the UK government, it calls for a more significant sense of getting whether if the expenditure is either increased or reduced there is the likeliness of having an impact on students outcomes. This aspect is very important for the in store(predicate) economy in the country and the future prosperity of individuals. Recent studies have been done concerning this issue in England using national citizen database and all schools expenditure. The national curriculum of the English government is divided into four key levels/stages, then at the end of these stages teachers evaluates the students o r they are given national tests that externally and marked at the school when students are the age of 11 and 16. A study done have critically evaluated the relationship between attainment and expenditure in the supplementary school level at the age of 14 and 16 respectively, displayed a small positive impact of resources used and on pupil attainment. The challenge behind it is that political control is used as an instrument for expenditure in the school. Government has initiated better flame work for examining casual effects derived from this background. In early 2000s, a flagship evaluation policy was done on the government labor and the (EiC) program for the secondary schools in England. Under this program, disadvantaged schools mainly located in urban areas were provided extra resources with an effort of improving standards. Incentives for a period of more than thirty years a concerted effort has been done with an aim of increase the choice of parents, competition between schoo ls and their duty for the children performance (Eom, 2011p.418). If the economy develops headspring, children go to better schools with incentives of increasing performance. This is because their effort should be strongly linked to pupil information and numbers which is disclosed to parents under the business framework. School autonomy most government schools function within a given framework based on their jurisdiction concerning terms of teacher conditions and pay, admissions, piece of writing of the body that is governing and the curriculum (Clark,2009 p.760). Since 2000, the England government started academies which led to the emergence of new schools given more autonomy compared to typical government schools in terms of their immunity of operations. The rationale behind this greater emphasis on autonomy is to encourage schools to have more advanced(a) policies and facilitate improvement of standards. In England, the so called academies are managed by any appointed govern or or their sponsors who are responsible in recruiting all staffs, freedom over curriculum implementation, agreeing on the terms and conditions of allowance and organizational aspects of the school. Pedagogy although since the year 2000, school autonomy in England seems to have gained popularity, it has not been true to versatile school organizational aspects (Terenzin, 2010 p.772). The government has put into place prescriptive measures in order to improve standards in numeracy and literacy through pedagogical methods. The national numeracy and literacy strategy rolled out in 1998 and 1999 was aimed at improving teaching quality through introducing more focused effective management of the class and instructions. Both literacy and numeracy did not present an overall time increase that was allotted in teaching some subjects. Both dramatically correspond a change on the teaching methods of such subjects. The above evaluation on education policy in England clearly shows that gaps in educational attainment are evident from earlier times and have been measured along the lifecycle. Various policies have been reviewed at the school level and implemented in England which brought high standards economic evaluation, aiming to see how scope of educational inequalities can be impinged. This has been done under the evaluation of the by-line educational policies implemented in England such as incentives, school resources, pedagogical approaches and school autonomy. This issue of reducing educational inequalities and gaps that exist in the sphere of education has been shaped for effective implementation. It enhances positive impacts through the use of the following contextual factors applied in secondary school classroom setting. Structure and organization of the educational system this helps in shaping the development of curriculum by considering the society served by the education system. It reflects the aspirations and the of necessity of the students, function and th e nature of learning and statement formulation on the importance of learning. This enables students to know how policies of education are implemented and established, influences the operation of schools and helps them to achieve their educational goals and curricular. Climate of learning in schools this involves many factors and values such as safety practices, cultures, and organizational structures shaping the school to react and function in a given way (Cohen,2009 p.189). Favorable and positive climate created in school by all stakeholders results to higher achievement by students. Teaching staff their professional development plays a great important role by attempting to reform or change an education system. The general purpose behind teachers evaluation is to ensure that the quality of instructions students receive from teachers are safeguarded and improved. Teachers are evaluated through classrooms observation by the principals, peer review of teachers and checking on students performance. Parental involvement for a school to be successful there must have a high cooperation among teachers, school administration and parents. A research done indicated that if parents participate in the education of their children, it results to an increase in the academic achievement of the students and an overall attitude improvement towards school. Classroom environment instructional activities carried out in school are always influenced by environment in the classroom. This includes classroom size, class composition and instructional time. Research indicates that favorable classroom environment benefits academic development thus helping students to achieve educational goals.Education policy in USA In USA, education is provided by twain private and public schools. Education in public schools is universally available, funded and controlled by the state, federal and local government. Private schools are set free to come up with their own curriculum and policies of staffin g. Educational evaluation plays a significant role in USA as it assesses and distinguishes particular characteristics of the education process. It is a professional process by which changeless review is commenced by independent educators with an aim of improving the learning process. This attempt is done to ensure liquified progress on the whole learning experience. The evaluation process in USA is conducted under the following three routes Personal evaluation this comprises of a legal and an ethical process, the standards behind it are educational, significant and judicious. military group evaluation standards are easily implemented, apt in funds and proficient in utility. Program evaluation it involves ground standards that provide a guarantee of the demanded information by users. This process of evaluation is based on factors that are prudent, practical, and thrifty and save. It results to an accurate and complete evaluation to the point. Student evaluation it is a program car ried out ethically and legally which is kept in the students mind while others are affected by it. Its standards are diligently judicious, educational and significant therefore it is an extremely useful evaluation to students. The process is very sensible, efficient, affordable, feasible, politically and socially. Education policy in USA has been effectively evaluated with an aim of ensuring educational effectiveness among students at different levels of education. Policy-amenable of the school characteristics are among the factors controlled under school management or national policy of education. It refers to substantive policy measures of education in areas such as organization, curriculum, accountability and development of a professional teacher and other characteristics at the school-level known to improve teaching. This discussion focuses on three main areas of policy-amenable characteristics of a school which shapes educational policy implementation. They include school clim ate, school resources and school policies. It is also interested in measuring the school context by mean socio-economic students backgrounds within the school. Relative impacts determined by school characteristics of policy-amenable and school context on the quality of education has helped policy makers to have a control. The question under the educational policy evaluation is why some schools are performing better than others. If the policy evaluation can find out the factors causing such deviation in terms of different school performance, better strategies can be implemented to change such performance deviation that is identifying general characteristics of schools with high performance and use such information to improve performance of a given school. The following are the three main areas according to PISA which shapes education policy implementation and has an effect towards students performance. School resources comprises of physical resources and materials such as the school size and the quality of physical infrastructure in the school, human resources including number of teaching staff (Peters, 2009 p.1). They have a tertiary qualification and the number of students in the school compared to the available teachers. If the school infrastructure is well constructed and the school has enough teachers the performance of students is likely to increase. This evaluation conducted in schools ensures effective implementation of the curriculum which facilitates achievement of educational goals. School climate entails different aspects culture of the school including how well teachers and students get along, disciplinary climate (Crul, 2009 p. 1478). In addition, it includes how committed and motivated schools teachers are and how strongly does the students identify themselves with their school. This factor is implemented well by school principals through ensuring that students are well disciplined and that teachers-students cooperation is improved. It is also w ell maintained through students motivation that results to high performance of students. School policies it comprises the level of autonomy enjoyed by the school when making decisions, issues concerning accountability of whether self-evaluation is conducted in the school and students progress monitored (Creemers, 2010 p.815). Such policies also determine whether the school gives the parents information concerning the students performance or not. Lastly these policies establish the degree of selectivity in the school concerning admission policies and the way low achievers are transferred to different schools. These factors shape the issue of educational inequality and the gaps created in the secondary level, and if well implemented high attainment is achieved. Conclusively, evaluation of education policy is an important factor in different countries for educational effectiveness. The above evaluation clearly shows some of the challenges experienced in school such educational inequali ties, poor performance and non-effective governance among others results to poor performance. England and USA among other nations have developed educational policy evaluation at different levels of education. From the above discussion, it is clear that these policies have improved standards of education shaped under different contextual factors. Comparably, both countries have had almost the same factors such as school resources, school policies among other discussed factors above. The recommendation is that such policies should be improved and well implemented and for who are yet to implement should do it for educational effectiveness.ReferencesAnderson, P., Chisholm, D., & Fuhr, D. C. (2009). forte and cost-effectiveness of policies and programmes to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. The Lancet, 373(9682), 2234-2246.Ball, S. J. (2009). Privatising education, privatising education policy, privatising educational research network governance and the competition state. Journal of Ed ucation Policy, 24(1), 83-99.Beauchamp, C., & Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 39(2), 175-189.Bryman, A. (2012). genial research methods. Oxford university press.Bunar, N. (2010). Choosing for quality or inequality current perspectives on the implementation of school choice policy in Sweden. 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Ashoka the Great

Ashoka From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Asoka redirects here. For other uses, seeAshoka (disambiguation). Ashoka the Great MauryanSamrat pic A Chakravatin (possibly Ashoka) first century BC/CE.Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati. Preserved at Musee Guimet Reign 273-232 BC Coronation 270 BC Full prenomen Ashoka Bindusara Maurya Titles Samrat.Other titles include Devanampriya Priyadarsi, Dhammarakhit, Dharmarajika, Dhammarajika, Dhammaradnya, Chakravartin, Samrat, Radnyashreshtha, Magadhrajshretha, Magadharajan, Bhupatin, Mauryaraja, Aryashok, Dharmashok, Dhammashok, Asokvadhhan , Ashokavardhan, Prajapita,Dham manhoodayak, Dharmanayak born(p) 304 BC Birthplace Pataliputra,Patna Died 232 BC (aged 72) Place of death Pataliputra,Patna Buried Ashes immersed in theGangesRiver, possibly atVaranasi,Cremated232 BC, less than 24 hours after death Predecessor Bindusara Successor Dasaratha Maurya Consort Maharani Devi Wives RaniTishyaraksha RaniPadmavati RaniKaurwaki materialisation Mahendra,Sanghamitra,Teevala, Kunala Royal House Mauryan dynasty Father Bindusara Mother Rani Dharma or Shubhadrangi Religious Buddhism,Humanism beliefs Ashoka(Devanagari ,IASTAsoka,IPAa o? k? , 304232 BC), popularly known asAshoka the Great, was anIndianemperorof theMaurya Dynastywho rulight-emitting diode almost all of theIndian subcontinentfrom 269 BC to 232 BC. 1 of Indias greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of force conquests. His empire stretched from present-dayPakistan,Afghanistanin the west, to the present-dayBangladeshand the Indian conjure ofAssamin the east, and as furthermost south as northernKeralaandAndhra. He conquered the kingdom namedKalinga, which no maven in his dynasty had conquered starting fromChandragupta Maurya. His reign was headquartered inMagadha(present-dayBihar, India). 1He embracedBuddhismfrom the prevalentVedictradition after witnes viceg the good deal deaths of thewar of Kal inga, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism crosswiseAsiaand established monuments marking several significant sites in the life ofGautama Buddha. Ashoka was a devotee ofahimsa( nonviolent resistance),love,truth, allowance accountandvegetarianism. Ashoka is remembered in recital as aphilanthropicadministrator. In thehistory of IndiaAshoka is referred to asSamraatChakravartinAshoka- the Emperor of EmperorsAshoka. His name asoka means without sorrow inSanskrit(a= no/without, soka= sorrow or worry).In hisedicts, he is referred to as Devanampriya (Devanagari )/Devana? iyaor The Belove Of The Gods, and Priyadarsin (Devanagari )/Piyadassior He who regards everyone with affection. some(prenominal) other title of his is Dhamma (prakrit ), Lawful, Religious, Righteous. RenownedBritishauthor andsocial criticH. G. Wellsin his bestselling two-volume work,The line of History(1920), wrote of emperor Ashoka In the hist ory of the world at that place obligate been thousands of kings and emperors who called themselves their highnesses, their majesties, and their exalted majesties and so on. They shone for a brief moment, and as quickly disappeargond. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto this day.Along with theEdicts of Ashoka, his parable is related in the later second centuryAsokavadana(Narrative of Asoka) andDivyavadana(Divine narrative), and in theSri Lankan school textMahavamsa(Great Chronicle). After two thousand years, the influence of Ashoka is seen inAsiaand especially theIndian subcontinent. An symbol excavated from his empire is today the nationalEmblem of India. In theHistory of BuddhismAshoka is considered just afterGautama Buddha. Contents show Biography early(a) life pic This articleneeds supererogatorycitationsforverification. Please helpimprove this articleby adding authoritative references.Unsourced material may bechallengedandremoved. (Jan uary 2009) Ashoka was born to theMauryanemperorBindusaraand his faerie Dharma (although she was aBrahminor Shubhadrangi, she was undervalued as she wasnt of royal blood). Ashoka had several older siblings (all half-brothers from other wives of Bindusara). He had just one younger sibling, Vitthashoka (a much loved brother from the same mother). Because of his exemplary intellect and warrior skills, he was said to have been the favorite of his grandfatherChandragupta Maurya. As the legend goes, when Chandragupta Maurya go away his empire for aJainliving, he threw hisswordaway. Ashoka ound the sword and kept it, in spite of his grandfathers warning. Ashoka, in his adolescence, was rude and naughty.He was a fearsome hunter. He was akshatriyaand was given all royal military trainings and otherVedic intimacy. According to a legend, he killed a king of beasts with just a woody rod. Ashoka was very well known for his sword fighting. He was very adventurous and this made him a howling (a) fighter. Ashoka was a frightening warrior and a heartless superior general. Because of this quality he was sent to destroy the riot ofAvanti. skip over to power pic pic Maurya Empireat the age of Ashoka. The empire stretched fromIrantoBangladesh/Assamand fromCentral Asia(Afganistan) toTamil Nadu/South India.Developing into an impeccable warrior general and a shrewd statesman, Ashoka went on to command several regiments of the Mauryan army. His growing popularity across the empire made his elder brothers wary of his chances of being favored byBindusarato become the next emperor. The eldest of them,Susima, the traditional heir to the throne, persuaded Bindusara to transfer Ashoka to quell an uprising inTaxshila, a city in the north-west District of Pakistani Punjab region, for which Prince Susima was the Governor. Taxshila was a highly volatile place because of the war-like Indo-Greek population and mismanagement by Susima himself. This had led to the formation of different mil itias causing unrest. Ashoka complied and left for the troubled area.As news of Ashokas visit with his army trickled in, he was welcomed by the revolting militias and the uprising ended without a conflict. (The province revolted once more during the command of Ashoka, but this time the uprising was crushed with an iron fist) Ashokas succeeder made his stepbrothers more wary of his intentions of becoming the emperor and more incitements from Susima led Bindusara to send Ashoka into exile. He went intoKalingaand stayed there incognito. There he met a fisher woman namedKaurwaki, with whom he fell in love. Recently prime inscriptions indicate that she would later become either his second or third queen. Mean plot, there was again a violent uprising inUjjain.Emperor Bindusara summoned Ashoka out of exile after two years. Ashoka went into Ujjain and in the ensuing date was injured, but his generals quelled the uprising. Ashoka was treated in hiding so that loya controversys of the Sus ima group could non harm him. He was treated byBuddhistmonks and nuns. This is where he first learned the teachings of theBuddha, and it is also where he met Devi, who was his personal encourage and the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. After recovering, he married her. It was sooner unacceptable to Bindusara that one of his sons should marry a Buddhist, so he did not allow Ashoka to stay inPataliputrabut kinda sent him back to Ujjain and made him the governor of Ujjain.The following year passed sort of peacefully for him, and Devi was about to go to bed his first child. In the meanwhile, Emperor Bindusara died. As the news of the unborn heir to the throne spread, Prince Susima planned the work of the unborn child however, the assassin who came to kill Devi and her child killed his mother instead. Ashoka beheads his elder brother to ascend the throne. In this phase of his life, Ashoka was known for his unquenched thirst for wars and campaigns launched to conquer th e lands of other rulers and became known as Chandashok (terrible Ashoka), the Sanskrit wordchanda gist cruel, fierce, or rude,Chandi-devi being associated withKali.Ascending the throne, Ashoka expanded his empire over the next eight years, from the present-day boundaries and regions ofBurmaBangladeshand the state ofAssamin India in the east to the territory of present-dayIran/PersiaandAfghanistanin the west from thePamirKnots in the north almost to the peninsular of Confederate India(i. e. Tamilnadu/Andhra pradesh). Conquest of Kalinga Main articleKalinga War While the early part of Ashokas reign was apparently quite bloodthirsty, he became a follower of theBuddhas teaching after his conquest of Kalinga on the east coast of India in the present-day state ofOrissa. Kalinga was a state that prided itself on its sovereignty and democracy. With its monarchical parliamentary democracy it was quite an exception in ancient Bharata where there existed the concept ofRajdharma. Rajdharma mean s the duty of the rulers, which was intrinsically entwined with the concept of heroism andKshatriyadharma.The pretext for the start of theKalinga War(265 BC or 263 BC) is uncertain. One of Susimas brothers might have fled to Kalinga and found decreed refuge there. This enraged Ashoka immensely. He was advised by his ministers to attack Kalinga for this act of treachery. Ashoka then asked Kalingas royalty to give before his supremacy. When they defied this diktat, Ashoka sent one of his generals to Kalinga to make them submit. The general and his forces were, however, completely routed through the skilled tact of Kalingas commander-in-chief. Ashoka, nonplus at this defeat, attacked with the greatest invasion ever natureed in Indian history until then.Kalinga put up a stiff resistance, but they were no suss out for Ashokas brutal strength. The whole of Kalinga was plundered and destroyed. Ashokas later edicts state that about 100,000 people were killed on the Kalinga side and 10 ,000 from Ashokas army. Thousands of men and women were deported. Buddhist conversion pic This articleneeds additionalcitationsforverification. Please helpimprove this articleby addingreliable references. Unsourced material may bechallengedandremoved. (March 2009) pic pic A similar four Indian lion Lion Capital of Ashoka atop an ntactAshoka Pillarat Wat U Mong near Chiang Mai,Thailandshowing another largerDharma Chakra/Ashoka Chakraatop the four lions thought to be missing in the Lion Capital of Ashoka atSarnath Museumwhich has been adopted as theNational Emblem of India. As the legend goes, one day after the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to roam the city and all he could see were burnt houses and split corpses. This sight made him sick and he cried the illustrious monologue What have I done? If this is a victory, whats a defeat then? Is this a victory or a defeat? Is this justice or injustice? Is it gallantry or a rout? Is it valor to kill innocent children and women? Do I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or to destroy the others kingdom and splendor?One has unconnected her husband, someone else a father, someone a child, someone an unborn infant. Whats this debris of the corpses? Are these mark of victory or defeat? Are these vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil? The brutality of the conquest led him to adopt Buddhism and he utilize his position to propagate the relatively new religion to new heights, as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. He made Buddhism his state religion around 260 BC, and propagated it and preached it deep down his domain and worldwide from about 250 BC. Emperor Ashoka undoubtedly has to be credited with the first serious adjudicate to develop a Buddhist policy. pic pic Ashokan Pillar atVaishaliProminent in this cause were his son VenerableMahindraand daughterSanghamitra(whose name means friend of the Sangha), who established Buddhism in Ceylon (nowSri Lanka). He built thousands of Stupas and Vi haras for Buddhist followers. The Stupas of Sanchi are world famous and the stupa namedSanchi Stupawas built by Emperor Ashoka. During the remaining portion of Ashokas reign, he pursued an official policy ofpassive resistance(ahimsa). Even the unnecessary slaughter or mutilation of people was immediately abolished. Everyone became protected by the kingslawagainst drama hunting and branding. Limited hunting was permitted for consumption reasons but Ashoka also promoted the concept of vegetarianism.Ashoka also showed mercy to those imprisoned, allowing them carry for the outside a day of the year. He attempted to raise the professional ambition of the common man by building universities for study, and water transit and irrigation systems for trade and agriculture. He treated his subjects as equals regardless of their religion, politics and caste. The kingdoms surrounding his, so well overthrown, were instead made to be well-respected allies. He is acclaimed for constructing hospit als for animals and renovating major roads throughout India. After this transformation, Ashoka came to be known as Dhammashoka (Sanskrit), meaning Ashoka, the follower of Dharma.Ashoka defined the main principles of dharma (dhamma) as nonviolence, tolerance of all sects and opinions, obedience to parents, respect for the Brahmans and other religious teachers and priests, liberality towards friends, mankinde preaching of servants, and generosity towards all. These principles elicit a general ethic of behaviour to which no religious or social group could object. whatsoever critics say that Ashoka was afraid of more wars, but among his neighbors, including theSeleucid Empireand the Greco-Bactrian kingdom established byDiodotus I, none could match his strength. He was a contemporary of twainAntiochus I Soterand his successorAntiochus II Theosof the Seleucid dynasty as well asDiodotus Iand his sonDiodotus IIof the Greco-Bactrian kingdom.If his inscriptions and edicts are well studie d one finds that he was familiar with the Greco-Roman world but never in awe of it. His edicts, which talk of friendly relations, give the names of both Antiochus of the Seleucid empire andPtolemy IIIofEgypt. The fame of theMauryanempire was widespread from the time that Ashokas grandfatherChandragupta MauryadefeatedSeleucus Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Dynasty. pic pic Stupa ofSanchi. The source of much of our knowledge of Ashoka is the numerous inscriptions he had carved on pillars and rocks throughout the empire. Emperor Ashoka is known as Piyadasi (inPali) or Priyadarshi (inSanskrit) meaning good looking or favored by the gods with good blessing.All his inscriptions have the imperial color and show compassionate loving. He addressed his people as his children. These inscriptions promoted Buddhist morality and encouraged nonviolence and adherence to Dharma (duty or proper behavior), and they talk of his fame and conquered lands as well as the neighboring kingdoms hold ing up his might. One also gets some primary information about the Kalinga War and Ashokas allies plus some useful knowledge on the civil administration. The Ashoka Pillar atSarnathis the most popular of the relics left by Ashoka. Made of sandstone, this pillar records the visit of the emperor to Sarnath, in the third century BC.It has a four-lion capital (four lions standing(a) back to back) which was adopted as the emblem of the modern Indian republic. The lion symbolizes both Ashokas imperial rule and the kingship of theBuddha. In translating these monuments, historians learn the bulk of what is assumed to have been true fact of the Mauryan Empire. It is difficult to determine whether or not some actual events ever happened, but the stone etchings clearly depict how Ashoka wanted to be thought of and remembered. Ashokas own words as known from hisEdictsare All men are my children. I am like a father to them. As every father desires the good and the happiness of his children, I wi sh that all men should be happy always. Edward DCruz interprets the Ashokan dharma as a religion to be used as a symbol of a new imperial unity and a cementing force to dyers rocket the diverse and heterogeneous elements of the empire. Also, in the Edicts, Ashoka mentions Hellenistic kings of the period as converts to Buddhism, although no Hellenic historic record of this event remain The conquest byDharmahas been won here, on the borders, and even six centuryyojanas(5,4009,600 km) away, where the Greek kingAntiochosrules, beyond there where the four kings namedPtolemy,Antigonos,MagasandAlexanderrule, likewise in the south among theCholas, thePandyas, and as far asTamraparni(Sri Lanka). Edicts of Ashoka,Rock Edict13 (S. Dhammika)Ashoka also claims that he encouraged the development ofherbal medicine, for human and nonhuman animals, in their territories Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasis Ashokas domain, and among the people beyond the borders, theCholas, thePandya s, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far asTamraparniand where the Greek kingAntiochosrules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown.Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells turn over and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. Edicts of Ashoka,Rock Edict2 The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the propagation of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such asDharmaraksita, are described inPalisources as leading Greek (Yona) Buddhist monks, active in spreading Buddhism (theMahavamsa, XII2). conclusion and legacy Ashoka ruled for an estimated forty years. After his death, the Maur yan dynasty lasted just fifty more years. Ashoka had many wives and children, but many of their names are lost to time.MahindraandSanghamitrawere twins born by his first wife, Devi, in the city ofUjjain. He had entrusted to them the job of making his state religion, Buddhism, more popular across the known and the unknown world. MahindraandSanghamitrawent intoSri Lankaand converted the King, the Queen and their people to Buddhism. They were naturally not handling state affairs after him. In his old age, he seems to have come under the spell of his youngest wifeTishyaraksha. It is said that she had got his sonKunala, the regent inTakshashila, blind by a wilystratagem. The official executioners spared Kunala and he became a wandering singer accompanied by his favourite wifeKanchanmala.InPataliputra, Ashoka hears Kunalas song, and realizes that Kunalas misfortune may have been a punishment for some past sin of the emperor himself and condemns Tishyaraksha to death, restoring Kunala to t he court. Kunala was succeeded by his son,Samprati, but his rule did not last long after Ashokas death. The reign of Ashoka Maurya could easily have disappeared into history as the ages passed by, and would have had he not left behind a record of his trials. The testimony of this wise king was discovered in the form of magnificently sculpted pillars and boulders with a build of actions and teachings he wished to be published etched into the stone.What Ashoka left behind was the first written language in India since the ancient city ofHarappa. The language used for inscription was the then current spoken form calledPrakrit. In the year 185 BC, about fifty years after Ashokas death, the last Maurya ruler,Brhadrata, was assassinated by the commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces,Pusyamitra Sunga, while he was taking the Guard of Honor of his forces. Pusyamitra Sunga founded theSunga dynasty(185 BC-78 BC) and ruled just a fragmented part of the Mauryan Empire. some of the north western territories of the Mauryan Empire (modern-day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) became theIndo-Greek Kingdom.When India gained independence from theBritish Empireit adopted Ashokas emblem for its own, placing theDharmachakra(The Wheel of Righteous Duty) that laureled his many columns on theflagof the newly independent state. In 1992, Ashoka was ranked 53 onMichael H. Hartslist of the most influential figures in history. In 2001, a semi-fictionalized portrayal of Ashokas life was produced as a execution picture under the titleAsoka. King Ashoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, has come to be regarded as one of the most exemplary rulers in world history. The British historian H. G. Wells has written Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history the name of Asoka shines, and shines almost alone, a star.