Romulan Education

Each House, whether it be a Greater or Lesser house, has one or more of its own Tutors. The Hfihar'Afweirha (House Tutor) is usually a member of the House that has dedicated their lives to studying various subjects. Indeed most of the House Tutors have also served their military career by being instructors in one of the various Academies throughout Rihannsu space. It will fall upon the Hfihar'Afweirha to teach the very first lessons in the Rihannsu child's formal education, and to be the guiding factor in the child's future educational process, up until the time the child joins the military, which is mandatory by the age of 18.

The formal education of Rihannsu children actually starts at the earliest possible age. As soon as a child begins to walk and talk, around two years old, they are sent to the nearest Hfihar'Afweirha. These very first lessons consist of the basics of the Rihannsu concepts of Honor, religion, respect, duty, strength, service to the Empire, self-sacrifice, and the concepts and principles of the House they were born into. The classes are conducted within the House Tutor's own estate, in a nursery or classroom setting. The lessons a child learns between the ages of two and five are extremely important. Indeed, how well a child learns these very first lessons is a grave matter of life and death. For at the age of 5 both males and females alike must pass the testing of the d'sora: a testing of the child's intelligence, adaptability, and strength.

The D'Sora

The test of d'sora dates back to planetfall when resources were scarce. Those who were too old or infirm to contribute to the greater good of the people would die honorably rather than put undue strain on the few resources that the early settlers had. If children were ill or infirm in any way, then they too were deemed an undue strain of the people's resources, and they would be quietly, quickly, and painlessly put to death. This has since been written as a law, and all children by the age of 5, must prove themselves worthy of becoming productive members of society. Those children that fail this test are subject to the euthanasia law, their names are never written in the House histories and they are never spoken of again. It is as if the child had never existed at all. But once a child had reached the age of 5 and passed the d'sora they are no longer subject to the euthanasia law. These children are honored within their House by a celebration of feasting and ceremony. They are taken to the Temples where their names will be recorded in the House histories, be blessed by the Priests, and recognized by the Elements.

After these first lessons have been learned, and the d'sora has been passed, all children are taught the fundamentals of the sciences, art, history, literature, martial arts or swordplay, along with more advanced lessons of the basics concepts outlined above. This is a grueling curriculum and will continue until the child enters the military, which must happen by the age of 18.

For those citizens of the Empire that are not fortunate enough to have access to their House's Hfihar'Afwierha, whether because they are part of a small system, on a colony world, or because they're part of an isolated farming community, the Empire has provided a general educational system for the children of these citizens. There is a small public school for every 100 children within a magistrate. All of the basic lessons are taught at these public schools, except for the principles and concepts of each individual's House, as these family virtues, while similar, often differ from House to House. The House-lessons are left up to the child's own parents and other family members to teach.

Though it is not unheard of for children as young as 15 to join the Military at the recommendation of their Hfihar'Afweirha, every citizen must enlist in the Military Academies by the age of 18. There is one major Academy for all three branches of the Military, on each capital world of the Empire. In addition to these large-scale central institutions, there are smaller Military schools spread throughout Rihannsu space. The Military Academies each have their own curriculum, though the Galae is the only required branch of enlistment. Tal'Shiar and Rei'Krannsu students are recruited from the Galae students who have scored high marks in certain tests.

Galae

It can take up to 5 years to complete the Galae Academy, and students graduate with the Rank of Erien (Ensign). Once a Farein (a Cadet in the Galae) has graduated from the Academy, they are expected to fulfill a minimum tour of duty of no less than 10 years. After this tour of duty has been fulfilled, they are free to continue with their Military career, or leave the Service to become productive members of the Empire in other areas of society (i.e.: colonists, farmers, artists, business professionals, medical professionals, scholars, Priests/Priestess', etc.). However, for those citizens that have chosen a civilian way of life after their obligations to the Military have been fulfilled, they are still required to remain affiliated within their Militia. They must attend monthly training sessions and practice runs on tactics (much like the Reserve Corps on Earth). This practice ensures that 90% of the civilian population could be deployed directly into the field if the need ever arose. It is estimated that the Military would still be able to function within 75% of optimum levels in combat when injected with these trained civilians.

Rei'Krannsu

The Rei'Krannsu (Special Forces) was the first organized Military branch of the Empire, dating back to the time of T'Rehu: "The Ruling Queen". They are very selective in those students that they recruit into their ranks, and as such, are the smallest of the Military branches. The Rei'Krannsu number about 1 student for every 30 students within the Galae, and 1 student for every 20 within the Tal'Shiar. The Rei'Krannsu Academies sometimes pull gifted students from the ranks of the Galae Academy, but most young people that aspire to serve in this prestigious division of the Military will have studied all of their lives with the help of their Hfihar'Afweirha; preparing themselves for the rigorous entrance exams that must be passed in order to gain entrance into the Rei'Krannsu Academies. It takes 5 years to complete the Rei'Krannsu Academy, and students graduate with the rank of Eredh (Trainee). Only after the Eredh has proven himself in the field will he be promoted to Erien. There is no minimum tour of duty to fulfill within the Rei'Krannsu, as Service within this branch is a lifelong career.

Tal'Shiar

Erie'Eredh's (Cadets in the Tal'Shiar) are also sometimes pulled from the ranks of the Galae, but again most that aspire to Serve within this branch spend their early education years preparing for the entrance exams. The Tal'Shiar Academy takes up to 30 years for completion, and the students graduate with the rank of erie'Arrain (2nd Lt.). Again, enlistment in the Tal'Shiar is considered to be a lifelong career, as those who wish to resign are subject to "mind-wiping" in order to erase all the information that the Tal'Shiar officer has accumulated within his or her career...which can be a fatal procedure.