Chapter 470: New Educational System

The political turmoil in Brambleford gradually subsided over the following month.

After Olivier was driven out of Kingston Village, the scholars who had supported him became increasingly cautious. Some submitted apologies to the governor’s office, while others quietly abandoned their opposition to Simon’s policies.

The merchants, craftsmen, and common people had made their position unmistakably clear.

No one wanted to risk losing the prosperity they had gained under the prince’s rule.

With the opposition temporarily silenced, Simon finally had the opportunity to implement another of his long-planned reforms.

Public education.

Across Brambleford, private schools began facing mounting difficulties.

The government had announced that students educated in private institutions would not be eligible to participate in the examinations used to select officials for the principality. They could still pursue the imperial examination system, but their opportunities within Brambleford itself would be severely limited.

Students attending public schools, however, could participate in both the local examinations and the imperial examinations.

The distinction was deliberate.

Simon was not merely offering free education. He was restructuring the path through which people could enter the official system.

Under the old arrangement, influential families and traditional scholars had enjoyed considerable advantages. Their private schools reinforced established traditions, and their connections often helped graduates secure promising positions.

Simon intends to break that pattern.

By connecting public education to official recruitment, he could encourage families to send their children to institutions that taught the knowledge and skills his administration required.

The financial advantage made the decision even easier.

Public schooling was entirely free.

For ordinary families, the choice was obvious.

Why pay for a private education that offered fewer opportunities within Brambleford when the government provided free schooling with a clearer path to advancement?

As word spread, enrollment in public schools surged.

Children who had previously attended private institutions began transferring in large numbers. Parents who had never imagined their children receiving a formal education also started making inquiries.

The effects of Simon’s policies were becoming visible.

Education was no longer a privilege reserved primarily for families with sufficient money and social connections.

It was becoming a public resource.

"Your Highness, this is the public school."

Aiden Smith gestured toward the buildings before them as he accompanied Simon around the campus.

"As you instructed, the school has been divided into two sections. Children between the ages of six and twelve study in the building on the left, while those between thirteen and sixteen attend classes in the building on the right. Students who complete their studies and pass the appropriate examinations will be eligible to apply to Oxford Academy."

Simon nodded as he surveyed the grounds.

The public school stood approximately a hundred meters from the prestigious Brambleford Oxford Academy.

The campus contained seventy-two classrooms arranged in neat rows of red-brick buildings topped with green tiles. The architecture was traditional, but the organisation of the campus reflected a more systematic approach to education.

Every classroom was equipped with a blackboard and a teaching platform.

These simple facilities represented a significant improvement over many of the private schools scattered throughout the domain.

The grounds were also well-maintained. Trees and other plants provided shade along the paths, while decorative rocks and small ponds gave the campus a pleasant atmosphere.

Beside the classroom buildings lay a spacious sports field where students could exercise and participate in outdoor activities.

Simon walked slowly through the grounds, examining everything with satisfaction.

During construction, he had been too occupied with military development, industrial expansion, and political affairs to visit the school frequently.

Now that the unrest had subsided, he had decided it was time to inspect the finished campus personally.

This school represented the beginning of a much larger ambition.

He wanted education to become accessible to every child in Brambleford, regardless of family background.

According to Aiden’s estimates, Brambleford’s population had reached approximately 450,000. Of these, around 6,000 children were eligible to enrol in the new public school.

The figure was significant.

Yet Simon knew it was only the beginning.

If similar schools were established throughout the domain, tens of thousands of children could receive a formal education.

That would create an enormous pool of potential talent.

At present, Brambleford’s military industry had advanced considerably. Its weapons, manufacturing techniques, and industrial capabilities were approaching the standards of the leading European powers in certain areas.

But Simon was acutely aware of a fundamental weakness.

Brambleford still lacked enough educated people.

Machines could be manufactured. Workshops could be expanded. Roads, ports, and factories could be constructed with sufficient resources.

But developing engineers, administrators, doctors, mathematicians, and skilled technical workers required something more.

It required education.

Without a steady supply of trained personnel, even the most advanced technology would eventually become difficult to maintain and improve.

This was the bottleneck Simon now hopes to overcome.

"Admitting six thousand students at once will put considerable pressure on the administration," Simon said as he turned toward Aiden. "But you must make sure the school operates properly."

Aiden straightened.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"First, don’t be afraid to spend money on education. Teachers must be paid well, and their salaries must arrive on time. If we want capable people to teach our children, we must offer them conditions that attract and retain good teachers."

Simon stopped walking and looked directly at him.

"Second, recruitment must be strict. I want teachers who are genuinely committed to educating the next generation. We need people with patience, discipline, and a sense of responsibility."

His expression hardened.

"A teacher does more than pass knowledge from one person to another. Students learn from their conduct as well. Someone who cannot serve as a proper role model has no place in our schools, regardless of how much knowledge they possess."

Aiden nodded seriously.

In the Eldorian Empire, it was unusual for a vassal prince to devote so much attention and money to public education.

Most aristocrats preferred to maintain the existing arrangements. An educated population could question established customs, challenge the authority of local elites, and demand opportunities that had previously been denied to them.

Keeping education limited made it easier for powerful families to preserve their influence.

That mindset had endured for generations.

Simon was determined to change it.

The new public school alone would educate approximately 6,000 children. If the same model were implemented throughout Brambleford, the total number of students could eventually reach 40,000 or even 50,000.

For a domain of this size, that would be an extraordinary achievement.

And these would not merely be children learning to read and write.

They would become the foundation of Brambleford’s future workforce and administration.

"Your Highness, you can rest assured," Aiden said firmly. "I will devote myself to making the public school system a success. I won’t disappoint you."

Simon nodded.

"There’s one more thing I want you to remember. Don’t make the system unnecessarily rigid."

Aiden looked at him attentively.

"Some students will learn faster than others. If a child demonstrates the ability to master advanced material at an early age, don’t force that child to remain in the same class simply because of age."

Simon gestured toward the classroom buildings.

"Establish a system of assessments that allows capable students to advance when they are ready. We must maintain proper standards, but we shouldn’t waste a talented student’s time."

His goal was clear.

Brambleford needed educated people as quickly as possible.

The longer it took to train a competent engineer or administrator, the longer the domain would remain constrained by its shortage of skilled personnel.

A flexible education system would allow exceptional students to progress more rapidly while ensuring that others received the time and support they needed.

Aiden considered the proposal and nodded.

"I understand, Your Highness. We’ll develop a system that allows students to advance according to their abilities."

"Good."

Simon resumed walking.

He had no intention of simply copying the educational practices of the modern world without considering the circumstances of his domain.

Brambleford was developing in a different historical environment, with different social expectations and urgent practical needs.

In this era, boys could marry and start families at thirteen, while the sons of noble families sometimes entered official positions at fifteen or sixteen.

Simon could not afford to spend decades educating every child before allowing them to contribute to society.

Nor did Brambleford need to reproduce every feature of a modern, comprehensive education system.

His immediate priority was to provide students with the knowledge necessary to advance the domain.

Reading, writing, mathematics, history, geography, and practical scientific knowledge would form the foundation. Students who demonstrated particular abilities could then receive more specialised instruction in fields such as engineering, medicine, administration, and military science.

The curriculum would be adapted to the realities of the eighteenth-century technological environment in which Brambleford was developing.

Students would not need to spend years studying subjects unrelated to their future responsibilities.

Instead, the system would emphasise solid fundamentals, practical applications, and specialised training.

By the time capable students reached eighteen or nineteen, Simon wanted them to be ready to contribute meaningfully to Brambleford’s development.

A competent graduate might become a surveyor, an accountant, a workshop supervisor, or a junior administrator.

The most talented could continue their studies at Oxford Academy, where they would receive advanced training.

Others could enter technical apprenticeships or pursue careers suited to their abilities.

In this way, public education would become more than a means of improving literacy.

It would be a mechanism for identifying, developing, and deploying talent throughout the domain.

Simon looked across the campus, imagining the thousands of children who would soon fill its classrooms.

Some might eventually become skilled craftsmen.

Others might design new machines, manage factories, improve agricultural production, or serve in the government.

A few might even become scholars whose discoveries transformed the world.

None of them could be identified with certainty today.

But they would finally have an opportunity to prove themselves.

For Simon, that was the true value of public education.

He was not simply building schools.

He was building the foundation of a new social order—one in which a person’s future would depend less on the family into which they were born and more on what they could learn, accomplish, and contribute.

And as Brambleford continued to grow, the consequences of this decision would extend far beyond the classroom walls.