प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

VII] PRIMARY EDUCATION 177
one alphabet on the board and the boys used to shout
out its name, as they went on writing it on wooden
boards or sand-covered ground. This method is
graphically described in a book of the early centuries
of the Christian era¹ and prevailed down to recent
times. The multiplication tables were recited
similarly by the whole class, following the lead given
by the teacher or the monitor. Boys had no primers
or text books with them down to the middle of the last
century, and guardians had not to meet a never ending
demand of the school for fresh exercises and copybooks.
The practice in writing was not given on paper, for
none existed. Boys first acquired the mastery in writ-
ing the alphabet on the sand board. When this
was done, teachers used to write on a palm leaf with
an iron style and hand over the leaf to the pupil for
tracing the letters on the same leaf with charcoal ink,
which was rubbed out at the end of the day. The
same palm leaf thus served as a model for several
days and several boys. When the fingers of boys had
acquired the necessary suppleness, they were then
asked to write on plaintain leaves. When they were
well practised in writing on plaintain leaves, they
were taught to write on the palm leaf.² More practice
was given in writing than in reading, as books were
rather rare.
Primary Schools and Teachers : Only occasionally
our sources refer to primary schools and teachers ; they
are usually described as lipiśālās (alphabet schools) and

1. Cf. तत्र बोधिसत्वाधिष्ठानेन तेषां दारकाणां मातृकां वाच्यतां यदा
   अकारं परिकीर्तयन्ति स्म तदा अनित्यः संस्कारशब्दो निश्चरति स्म ।
   Lalitavistāra, Chap. X.
2. Stark, Vernacular Education, pp. 28-48.
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