* Missionaries: Christian missionaries played a significant role in establishing educational institutions in many parts of the world, often integrating Western curricula with religious instruction.
* Colonial powers: European colonial governments established educational systems in their colonies, often designed to serve their administrative and economic needs. These systems typically promoted Western languages, values, and knowledge.
* Educators and scholars: Individual educators and scholars traveled internationally, sharing knowledge and establishing educational institutions.
* Indigenous elites: In many colonized regions, members of the indigenous elite were instrumental in adopting and adapting Western education, often seeing it as a pathway to social mobility and influence.
It's crucial to understand that the introduction of Western education wasn't a simple transfer of knowledge but a complex and often unequal interaction, shaping and being shaped by local contexts and cultures. The legacy of Western education is varied and complex, with both positive and negative consequences depending on the specific historical and social context.