Regulatory and legal foundations of the national education in Russia in the post-reform period (1860-1917)

Tsenyuga Sergei Nikolaevich ORCID: 0000-0001-5273-5744 Doctor of Pedagogy Professor, Department of National History, Krasnoyarsk State Pedagogical University named after V.P. Astafiev 660022, Russia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Krasnoyarsk, Partizan Zheleznyak str., 28 serzen1958@yandex.ru

The reforms of Alexander II, carried out in the 60s of the XIX century, transformed the socio-economic and political realities of Russian society, changed its spiritual appearance and needs. They served as an impetus for the development of the public education system, since the need for literate, educated people became obvious, without whose direct participation modernization was not possible. During the same period, the process of the country's territorial structure was completed – Russia was finally formed as a multinational state, which created the need to create an effective model of social integration and interethnic interaction. The formation of the concept of state national policy has begun, which is based on the principle of assimilation. The policy of assimilation did not aim to eradicate national identity and identity, but also did not solve the problem of preserving and enhancing national culture.

Education was rightly considered one of the most effective methods of implementing the basic ideas of national policy. This led to the fact that in the late 60s of the XIX century. for the first time in Russian history, the issue of educating non-Russian peoples was voiced at the government level. Therefore, national components involuntarily began to penetrate the state education system, which underwent extensive reform. This is how the idea of a national school began to emerge and develop. At the same time, the genesis of the national school concept was facilitated by the general development of pedagogical thought in the direction of democratization, humanization of education, and expansion of its accessibility. However, it is important to note that despite the positive dynamics, in the pre-revolutionary period, national education was not allocated to a separate area of pedagogy and was considered part of public education.

For the first time, the idea of distinguishing the national school as an independent direction of pedagogy and recognizing it as an important part of the national education system was expressed by the classics of Russian pedagogy and historical science - K.D. Ushinsky ^[1], P.F. Kapterev ^[2], N.I. Ilminsky ^[3]. The scientific and pedagogical principles of N.I. Ilminsky, set out in numerous works, were of fundamental importance, since they became the basis of the concept of national school construction and found practical expression in several normative acts. ^[3]. The only major work in which the analysis of the normative and methodological support of national policy and the activities of institutions of national education was carried out is the "Legislation on foreign schools" by M. N. Malinovsky ^[4].

General issues of the genesis and evolution of the system of government and public education institutions in the period under study are covered in the works of Soviet and modern historians: V.Yu. Zakharov and A.N. Ivanov ^[5], L.D. Goshulyak ^[6], E.N. Medynsky ^[7], A.A. Ovsyannikova ^[8]. The process of formation of the national education system for non-Russian peoples in Russia in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries was studied by D.V. Gorodenko ^[9]. The content, mechanisms and goals of the state national policy in imperial Russia were studied by V.B. Kior. ^[10]. Educational and educational activities in relation to certain ethnoconfessional groups (Tatars) are reflected in the works of A.A. Gafarov. ^[11]

The analysis of historiography allows us to conclude that there is currently an extensive body of research related to issues of national education. However, no comprehensive work has been found covering the origin and transformation of the regulatory and methodological framework governing national school construction within the framework of the studied period. The purpose and novelty of the study is to try to fill this gap.

The source base used in the study is represented by the scientific works of the above-mentioned authors, regulatory documents, as well as unpublished sources from the collections of the State Archive of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Any social system needs regulatory regulation. The system of national education is no exception.

In 1864, the fundamental normative legal documents in the field of public education were issued: the Charter of secondary schools and the Regulations on primary public schools ^{[12, pp.85-86]}, and in 1884 - the Rules on parochial schools ^{[12, p.101]}.

In addition to the basic provisions on the types of educational institutions, their structure, content and organization of the educational process, these acts consolidated the independence of access to primary and secondary educational institutions from the class, religion and nationality of students. On the one hand, it was truly revolutionary progress. On the other hand, they did not envisage building the educational process taking into account the national diversity of students. For example, classes were conducted exclusively in Russian, and the ethnopsychological needs, national and cultural characteristics of the students were not taken into account.

At the same time, a system of governing bodies of public education institutions was formed at the central (Ministry of Public Education) and local, provincial (school councils, since 1874 — directorates of public schools) levels. Schools under the jurisdiction of religious institutions were run by spiritual authorities. For example, schools and colleges of the department of the Russian Orthodox Church were subordinate to the Synod and the spiritual consistories ^{[7, p.345]}.

In the pre-revolutionary period, 4 major normative legal acts regulating the activities of national schools were developed:

1. "Rules on measures for the education of foreigners inhabiting Russia", 1870

2. "Rules on primary schools for foreigners living in eastern and Southeastern Russia", 1906

3. "Rules on primary schools for foreigners", 1907 (in essence, amendments to the rules of 1906)

4. "Rules on primary schools for foreigners", 1913

The adoption of the first and most significant act – the "Rules on Measures for the Education of Foreigners inhabiting Russia" (1870) was accompanied by a lengthy discussion (began in 1867), which was attended by officials of the Ministry of Public Education, trustees of educational districts, representatives of the progressive public, religious figures, missionaries and teachers, united in a special commission ^{[9, p. 63]}.

Of the several submitted for consideration, the Ministry of Public Education approved the project proposed by the missionary, Professor of the Kazan Theological Academy N.I. Ilminsky, who had extensive experience working with the non-native (mainly Tatar) population living within the Kazan academic circle. The project assumed teaching in the native language with gradual introduction to the Russian language and Orthodox culture (for baptized foreigners) ^{[9, p.63]}. As a practical teacher, N.I. Ilminsky actually confirmed the effectiveness of an approach based on respect for the national identity of foreigners and the use of the native language in the educational process. In addition to improving the quality of teaching, the use of the national language has contributed to building more trusting and good-neighborly relations between the Russian Orthodox population and the Tatar professing Islam.

In March 1870, the "Rules on Measures for the education of foreigners inhabiting Russia" were approved by Emperor Alexander II. Russian Russian law provided for the creation of institutions of national education, the purpose of which was "a more lasting rapprochement of foreigners with the indigenous Russian people through the gradual dissemination of knowledge of the Russian language between them" ^{[13, p.83]}. From now on, the approach to teaching the non-Russian population was based on the worldview, culture, confessional affiliation (or degree of Christianization), and the level of assimilation of students.

According to the provisions of the rules, baptized foreigners were taught in their native language, followed by a transition to Russian. Russian Russian teachers could be teachers from the local environment who speak Russian, or Russians who speak the local dialect. For the peoples who do not have their own written language, a national script was developed based on Russian transcription ^{[13, pp.84-86]}. Russian Russian schools were supposed to be created in two types of educational institutions: foreign schools or schools (for students with a low level of assimilation and proficiency in the Russian language) and public schools on a common basis (for students with an average and high level of assimilation, good knowledge of the Russian language). In the latter, non-native children studied together with the Russian-speaking population ^{[13, pp.84-86]}.

For Muslim Tatars, Russification manifested itself only in the form of learning the Russian language, without elements of Christianization. Primary rural and urban schools were created for them. The teachers were recruited from the local environment, or Russian teachers, but with a good level of command of the Tatar language. The supervisor of the school and the law teacher were elected by local Tatar societies ^{[13, pp.87-88]}.

Tatars were also allowed to study in ordinary state schools, but with exemption from studying the Law of God. They recommended the creation of preparatory classes for Tatars. The program of the madrasah and mektebe included the study of the Russian language. Both boys and girls studied in all types of educational institutions ^{[13, pp.87-88]}.

In the period from 1872 to 1876, four–year Tatar teacher's schools were opened in Ufa, Simferopol and Kazan, as well as in 1883 - the Orsk Kyrgyz (Kazakh) teacher's school for the purpose of training teachers for national Tatar schools ^{[11, p.266]}.

The rules included recommendations on educational work. The general control over these institutions was carried out by the inspector of primary public schools ^{[13, pp.86, 88]}.

Despite the fact that the rules regulated the education of only the Tatar population, they became the basis, a model for the subsequent development of other normative legal acts in the field of national school construction and played a key role in the dissemination of education among the non-Russian population of the country. They influenced the development of national schools among the peoples of the Volga region, the Urals, and Siberia.

However, Central Asia and the North Caucasus remained outside the zone of any regulatory regulation. In these regions, a few national schools had a pronounced confessional bias (Islamic educational institutions, missionary schools of the Russian Orthodox Church).

By 1891, 122 foreign schools were operating in Russia – this was catastrophically small and did not cover the needs of the foreign population ^{[9, p.64]}.

Therefore, despite the fundamental importance of the rules of 1870, which became a breakthrough for their time and laid the foundation for the national school of Russia, they had a number of pronounced deficits, namely: they did not create a single continuous and complementary system of educational institutions for the entire foreign population of Russia, concerned only certain territories, ethnic and confessional groups, covered only a link of primary schools.

The events of the First Russian Revolution, which stimulated the development of civil society, played a major role in the evolution of the national education system and its regulatory and legal regulation. In the context of national education, this was reflected in the easing of any social restrictions based on nationality (including regarding access to education), and the development of projects for the introduction of universal primary education began.

The issue of introducing universal primary education was submitted by the Government to the Third State Duma for consideration, and despite the fact that the project never received legislative formalization and practical implementation, other normative acts were adopted, which pointwise implemented the concept of universal primary education. For example, on May 3, 1908, the law "On vacation of 6,900,000 rubles for primary education" was adopted, which assumed financing of public education from the state budget ^[14].

In 1906, the "Rules on Primary Schools for Foreigners living in Eastern and Southeastern Russia" were published, and in 1907 - the "Rules on primary schools for foreigners". At its core, the 1907 Rules were amendments to the 1906 Rules. The rules of 1906 and 1907, in terms of key meanings, content and goals, were an adapted version of the rules of 1870 in the realities of the early twentieth century.

In the new rules, the drafters took into account and corrected the shortcomings inherent in the rules of 1870. For example, the Rules of 1906 concerned the entire foreign population of the country, including in Central Asia and the North Caucasus ^{[9, p.64]}.

The 1907 rules increased the volume of native language study (up to two years), and allowed the use of both Russian and Arabic transcription in writing. The requirements for the qualification of teachers have changed (knowledge of the local dialect for Russian-speaking teachers and the level of educational qualification for teachers of foreign origin), the types of extracurricular activities have expanded ^{[9, p.64]}.

In many ways, the democratization of the national school, enshrined in the rules of 1906 and 1907, was due to the aggravation of the national question during the First Russian Revolution ^{[9, p.64]}.

However, after the revolutionary events began to decline, the vector of government policy changed to strengthening social stability and forming civil unity on the basis of the Russian nation. First of all, these changes have influenced the content of national and educational policy. The share of the national component in the school curriculum has increased – patriotic education has increased, the volume of teaching the Russian language and the basics of Orthodox doctrine has increased.

In 1909, a special meeting was established in the structure of the Ministry of Public Education to discuss the possibility of combining national and ethnic components in the educational and educational process of national schools. As a result of the meeting, decisions were made to increase the number of hours of teaching the Russian language and the basics of Orthodoxy in the school curriculum. The creation of private denominational schools was limited – the state strengthened its position by increasing the percentage of educational institutions established on a state basis ^{[9, p.65]}.

The above-mentioned innovations were reflected in the last normative document on national schools for the pre-Soviet period - the "Rules on Primary Schools for Foreigners", which entered into force in 1913. Russian Russian language and rapprochement with the Russian people were the main purpose of the rules ^{[15, l. 81ob]}.  The teaching of the native language in primary schools was abolished (except for those ethnic groups who did not speak Russian), elements of patriotic and labor education were included in the educational process (for example, the creation of craft classes) ^{[15, L. 80-83]}. The latest innovation was warmly welcomed by the scientific and pedagogical community, since the separation of the school curriculum from the realities of everyday life, the loss of national crafts and the lack of integration into the economic life of the country of small indigenous peoples worried many teachers.

As an example, we can mention the personal initiative of the teachers of the Yenisei province in creating craft/craft schools or classes for the foreign population. In 1902, the priest of the Turukhansk parish, N. Bulavsky, sent a draft craft school for foreigners to the local spiritual consistory for consideration. In addition to general education subjects, the school was supposed to teach fishing, the main trade of the local population ^{[16, l. 4-4ob]}.

The Rules of 1913 became the last normative and methodological document regulating the activities of national schools. Other projects discussed both among the scientific and pedagogical community and at the government level were frozen due to the events of the First World War and the revolutionary upheavals of 1917.

Despite certain achievements (recognition of the national school as an independent component of the national school, the appearance of the first national schools), the legislation on national schools did not ensure the formation of a unified, integrated and effective system of national education. National public schools had a Russification and religious orientation, which alienated many potential students from it. The number of schools themselves was not enough.

 According to the census of 1897, 71.6% of foreigners were not literate. The literacy rate was particularly low among the peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Thus, only 0.5% of Tajiks were literate, Kyrgyz — 0.6%, Uzbeks — 1.6%, Kazakhs — 2%, etc. Among the peoples of the Far North, only a few were literate ^{[17, pp.185-215]}.

Conclusion. The authors confirmed the hypothesis of the study that in the period from 1860 to 1917, the regulatory and legal foundations for the formation of a national school in Russia as a whole were laid, which, among other things, played a decisive role in the emergence and development of educational institutions with a national component in the Yenisei province. However, despite certain achievements, the formation of a unified, integrated, continuous and effective system of national education has not yet occurred ^{[18; 19; 20]}. Nevertheless, this historical experience was not in vain, but was taken into account in the next attempt to solve the problems of national state building and national schools in the first decades of Soviet power, which determined the next direction and nature of our further research activities from the point of view of determining the possibility of use in modern conditions.