Chernyshev A.I., Sviridov V.I. Activities of Local Authorities of Kursk Province Aimed at the Development of School Education in Late XIX - Early XX Centuries

Abstract: The author examines the activities of bodies of local self-government in pre-revolutionary Russia in the field of education. It is noted that the undoubted merits in the field of education belong to zemsky institutions. The authors also consider issues of school education as well as other means of education: libraries, public readings of books, etc.. It is observed that the increased attention of zemsky institutions towards public education was due to the illiteracy of the most people and hindered socio-economic progress in the country. The emphasis is made on the development of education being aimed at mainstream population but not elites. The authors argue that the development of national education became an important modernization issue which was solved by zemstvo. Methodological basis of the research involves the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity. The authors have also used the following special methods of research: historical, comparative, problem-chronological and analytical. It is shown that the local government and public education became important factors in the maintenance of social harmony in terms of socio-economic differentiation of the population of Kursk province of the late XIX - early XX centuries. Thus, the study of zemstvo experience in the field of non-formal education of the population deserves in-depth analysis in the current context of the search for the optimal model of secondary school.

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