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In recounting the intellectual life of Timbuktu, the Sankore University Mosque was the main teaching venue for students since many scholars lived in the Sankore Quarter. Classes were also taught at the Great Mosque and the Oratory of Sidi Yahya. Most of the teaching took place in the scholar’s houses where each scholar had their very own private library which he could consult when knotty points arose. Very often the student would study under six or seven different tutors, each having different specialism.
At the height of the Songhai Empire, Timbuktu had 25,000 students and these students would pay the lecturers in money, clothing, cows, poultry, sheep or services depending on how well off the student’s family was. According to the Tarikh al Fettash, Timbuktu had 26 textile factories where each master tailor employed 50 to 100 apprentices. Employment was restricted to students at a certain level of education.
Working in the tailoring industry, secured the students an income enabling them to further their studies. The teachers were experts in a number of texts. This is not quite the same as being an expert in a particular subject. The traditional teaching involved the lecturer dictating a text to the students. The students would write their own copies and would read back to the lecturer what they had written down.
All the students would do the same. In this way, students would learn from each others mistakes. Once the correct version had been written down, the lecturer would explain the technical intricacies of the text and engage in a high level of question and answer. Treaties on pedagogy have survived among the manuscripts. Some books mention how to learn to read, how to improve memory, suggestions on what subjects should be taught, and the qualities of an ideal educator.
According to a Timbuktu manuscript, an ideal student is: ” Modest, courageous, patient and studious; he must listen carefully to his professor and have solid understanding of his lessons before memorising them. The students must learn to debate among themselves to deepen their understanding of the material. They must have great respect and a profound love for their teacher, because these are the conditions for professional success.”
