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

III] THE TEACHER AND THE STUDENT 51
Teacher's Training:—Though the teacher was held
in high reverence, it does not appear that any institutions
like Teachers' Training Colleges of the modern times
existed in the past. One of the hopes expressed at the
convocation (Samāvartana) was that the graduate may
have the good luck of attracting students from all
quarters.¹ It is therefore clear that no further training
was deemed necessary for the graduate in order to qualify
him for the teaching profession. The reasons for this
are not far to seek. Students received individual attention
and lessons from their teachers, as will be shown in
Chapter VI. During their educational course Vedic students
could note how precisely teachers used to pronounce and
intonate the Vedic Mantras when teaching them to their
students. As far as the study of other branches like
grammar, logic, rhetoric, philosophy etc. was concerned,
no special training was necessary for fostering and deve-
loping the powers of exposition and elucidation of students
specialising in them. In the modern system of education
students can get their degrees by listening to their teachers
in the class-rooms and answering the question papers in
the examination halls. Such was not the case in ancient
India. Several times during his course the student was
called upon to pass through the fiery ordeal of learned
debates (Śāstrārtha) when he was called upon to defend
his own position and attack that of the opponent in
heated discussions. Powers of debate and discussion were
thus remarkably developed by the time the student finished
his education. Advanced students were also given
opportunities of teaching the beginners in most of the
educational institutions.² The graduate therefore had a
1 Bau. Gr. S., II, 6.
2 See Suta-soma-jātaka No. 537. Of the advanced scholars at
P. T. O.