Schoolboy’s tablet with verse from the Quran

Until the early 20th century, the Quranic tablet was the primary tool for pupils at North African primary schools. The teacher, or muallim, taught Arabic writing to young boys – girls did not go to school. He would make them recite verses of the Quran a certain number of times, chanting them in rhyme, until the pupils knew them by heart. The schoolboys would then practice writing out one of the verses they had memorized on a coated wooden board, using a small wooden shaft dipped in ink. Once a student could write his verse without making any mistakes, the teacher would give them a sort of passing certificate by decorating the back of the tablet. In the Middle East, where the use of paper was more widespread, the board was replaced by a sheet of paper, and the pupil wrote with a qalam, or reed.