Did you know that some of today’s students are walking the same halls as scholars from over a millennium ago? As we navigate the changing landscape of international education, it’s fascinating to look back at the institutions that have truly stood the test of time.

Ancient seats of learning

The University of Al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest continuously operating educational institution in the world. Founded around 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, and for over 1,160 years, it has been a beacon of learning in the Islamic world. Not far behind is Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, established around 970 AD. Its thousand-year history includes weathering political changes, wars, and cultural shifts while maintaining its educational mission.

European pioneers

The University of Bologna in Italy, founded in 1088, claims the title of the oldest university in the Western world. Oxford University followed shortly after, with teaching dating back to 1096, and continues to rank among the world’s top educational institutions. The University of Salamanca (1134) in Spain and the University of Paris (1150) are also medieval European universities that paved the way for higher education that we still recognise today.

Still teaching after all these years

What’s truly remarkable about these ancient institutions isn’t just their age, but their adaptability. Despite being founded in eras of handwritten manuscripts and oral traditions, they’ve embraced modern educational practices while preserving cultural heritage. The King’s School in Canterbury, for example, widely known as the oldest school in England, is still going strong, demonstrating that even at the primary and secondary levels, educational institutions can endure for centuries.

As we work in today’s rapidly changing international education industry, these institutions remind us of education’s timeless importance across cultures and centuries. They offer valuable lessons in institutional resilience and the enduring human quest for knowledge—proving that while teaching methods may evolve, the mission to educate remains fundamentally unchanged.

Written by Stephanie Clark