Traditionally schools were expected to dispense knowledge (in the form of facts and
figures) to the willing audience of children that arrived as blank slates to be formed. In such
a model, educational aims were simple and clear: teach the facts and figures, and once a
child has mastered them, s/he is deemed to have succeeded in his/her schooling. The
concept of community, or clear support, or any external influence into this system was not
considered necessary nor, indeed, desirable.