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THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE KAZAN EDUCATIONAL DISTRICT IN THE SCHOOL POLICY OF TSARISM IN RELATION TO MUSLIM TATARS (SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURIES)
O PAPEL DA ADMINISTRAÇÃO DO DISTRITO DE EDUCAÇÃO DE KAZAN NA POLÍTICA ESCOLAR DE CZARISMO EM RELAÇÃO A TÁRTAROS MUÇULMANOS (SEGUNDA METADE DO XIX - INÍCIO DO SÉCULO XX)
EL PAPEL DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DEL DISTRITO EDUCATIVO DE KAZAN EN LA POLÍTICA ESCOLAR DEL CZARISMO HACIA LOS TATARES MUSULMANES (SEGUNDA MITAD DEL XIX - PRINCIPIOS DEL SIGLO XX)
THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE KAZAN EDUCATIONAL DISTRICT IN THE SCHOOL POLICY OF TSARISM IN RELATION TO MUSLIM TATARS (SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURIES)
Revista on line de Política e Gestão Educacional, vol. 25, núm. Esp.2, pp. 769-779, 2021
Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho
Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional.
Recepción: 20 Enero 2021
Recibido del documento revisado: 18 Marzo 2021
Aprobación: 25 Abril 2021
Publicación: 01 Mayo 2021
Abstract: The paper is devoted to the study of the Kazan school district administration activities during one of the key periods in the Russian state history: the period of its socio-economic and political transformation. Liberal reforms of Alexander I, conservative course of Alexander III, revolutionary events of the early 20th century: all the peripeties of these epochs are reflected in the autocracy's policy on Tatar-Muslim schooling. The authors of the paper revealed the historical circumstances concerning establishment of the Kazan educational district, demonstrated its structure and place in the hierarchy of the public education system structures available in the Russian Empire, traced the evolution of its functions, goals and objectives in close relationship with the socio-economic and political processes in the country. The multi-confessional and multi-ethnic character of the population of the educational district considered in the paper is underlined. The authors focus on the activities of the tutors of the Kazan school district, who not only implemented the policy of the autocracy regarding the school education of Tatars-Muslims, but also submitted proposals to the higher authorities to improve the above-mentioned policy. The place and role of Tatar, Bashkir and Kirghiz school inspectors, directors of public schools, and other officials in the implementation of the school policy regarding Muslim peoples are thoroughly analyzed. The authors' conclusions are based on extensive archival sources
Keywords: Russian empire, Kazan educational district, Muslim Tatars, Ministry of National Education, Public schools, Confessional schools.
Resumo: O artigo é dedicado ao estudo das atividades da administração do distrito escolar de Kazan durante um dos períodos-chave na história do estado russo: o período de sua transformação socioeconômica e política. Reformas liberais de Alexandre I, caminho conservador de Alexandre III, acontecimentos revolucionários do início do século 20: todas as peripécias dessas épocas se refletem na política autocrática sobre a escolarização tártaro-muçulmana. Os autores do artigo revelam as circunstâncias históricas relativas ao estabelecimento do distrito educacional de Kazan, demonstram sua estrutura e lugar na hierarquia das estruturas do sistema de ensino público disponível no Império Russo, traçam a evolução de suas funções, metas e objetivos em uma relação próxima com os processos socioeconômicos e políticos do país. O caráter multiconfessional e multiétnico da população do distrito educacional considerado no artigo é sublinhado. Os autores se concentram nas atividades dos tutores do distrito escolar de Kazan, que não só implementaram a política da autocracia em relação à educação escolar dos tártaros-muçulmanos, mas também apresentaram propostas às autoridades superiores para melhorar a política acima mencionada. O lugar e o papel dos inspetores escolares tártaros, bashkir e quirguizes, diretores de escolas públicas e outros funcionários na implementação da política escolar em relação aos povos muçulmanos são analisados minuciosamente. As conclusões dos autores são baseadas em extensas fontes de arquivo.
Palavras-chave: Império russo, Distrito Educacional de Kazan, Tártaros muçulmanos, Ministério da Educação Nacional, Escolas públicas, Escolas confessionais.
Resumen: El documento está dedicado al estudio de las actividades de la administración del distrito escolar de Kazán durante uno de los períodos clave en la historia del estado ruso: el período de su transformación socio-económica y política. Reformas liberales de Alejandro I, curso conservador de Alejandro III, acontecimientos revolucionarios de principios del siglo XX: todas las peripecias de estas épocas se reflejan en la política de la autocracia sobre la escolarización tártaro-musulmana. Los autores del artículo revelaron las circunstancias históricas relativas al establecimiento del distrito educativo de Kazán, demuestran su estructura y lugar en la jerarquía de las estructuras del sistema de educación pública disponibles en el Imperio ruso, trazan la evolución de sus funciones, metas y objetivos en una relación cercana. con los procesos socio-económicos y políticos del país. Se subraya el carácter multiconfesional y multiétnico de la población del distrito educativo considerado en el artículo. Los autores se centran en las actividades de los tutores del distrito escolar de Kazán, quienes no solo implementaron la política de la autocracia con respecto a la educación escolar de los tártaros-musulmanes, sino que también presentaron propuestas a las autoridades superiores para mejorar dicha política. Se analiza a fondo el lugar y el papel de los inspectores escolares tártaros, bashkir y kirguís, directores de escuelas públicas y otros funcionarios en la implementación de la política escolar con respecto a los pueblos musulmanes. Las conclusiones de los autores se basan en amplias fuentes de archivo.
Palabras clave: Imperio ruso, Distrito Educativo de Kazán, Tártaros musulmanes, Ministerio de Educación Nacional, Escuelas públicas, Escuelas confesionales.
Introduction
The history of the Russian autocracy's policy towards Tatars-Muslims has long been an object of scientific interest for Russian and foreign researchers.
Domestic historiography of the problem can be divided into three periods: pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern. The works of pre-revolutionary authors can be divided into two groups. The first, of a conservative and protective orientation, is represented first and foremost by the works of missionaries and a number of officials of the educational department (ILMINSKY, 1910; KOBLOV, 1906; MASHANOV, 1910). The works of the liberal-democratic group contain attempts at objective and critical analysis of individual aspects of school policy (FAKHRETDIN, 1909; GOLUBEV, 1916; MALINOVSKIY, 1916). A characteristic feature of Soviet historiography was a negative interpretation of the tsarist government's measures in the field of schooling for non-Russian peoples, while at the same time emphasizing the progressive influence of Russian culture on them (BERKUTOV, 1968; DNIEPROV, 1985; EFIROV, 1939; GOROKHOV, 1941; KHAKIMOV, 1972; KHANBIKOV, 1967; MAKHMUTOVA, 1982; RUSTYAMOVA, 1958). After the collapse of the USSR, as interest in national history soared, historians wrote about different aspects of the state school policy towards Tatars-Muslims (FARKHSHATOV, 2000; FAZLIEV et al., 2019; GAFAROV, 2019; MAKHMUTOVA, 1998; RAKHIMOV, 1997; ZAGIDULLIN, 1992). There was an increase in the number of studies on the history of Tatar madrasas and the social and pedagogical activity of national education reformers.
There is a peculiarity in the approaches to the study of this problem peculiar to foreign studies (CREWS, 2006; KAPPELER, 2001; LIEVEN, 1997) (Russian Empire: Space, People, Power, 1700-1930). Their difference can be explained by the peculiarities of the socio-cultural and political-ideological conditions under which these research works were made.
The territory of the Kazan educational district was characterized by its multi-confessional and multi-ethnic character. Materials from the first general census of the Russian Empire in 1897 make it possible to reconstruct the numerical and ethno-confessional composition of the population in the region. At the end of the XIX century there were 12,890,051 people living in the provinces of Kazan. Of these, 12.35% were Muslims. Muslims were the second largest population after Orthodox Christians (80%). Most Muslims (39.8%) were concentrated in Kazan province (Central Statistical Committee, 1904; First general census of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904).
The share of Tatars in the population of the Kazan district was 10.16%. More than half of the Tatars (51.6%) lived in Kazan province (First general census of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904; First general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897, 1904) (KROPOTKINA, 2005).
In the XIX century, multistage education system, centralized and systematized management of education and enlightenment institutions were formed in the Russian Empire. The manifesto of 8 September 1802 established a body that would manage for the first time the education field, i.e., the Ministry of National Education. The logical continuation of this process was the organization of educational districts in 1803. The creation of educational districts was subordinated to the tasks directed to more effective functioning of the new educational system and unification of their management.
The decree dated 24 January 1803 established the Kazan Educational District comprising 11 provinces and two regions. In the pre-reform period, the composition of the above-mentioned district changed several times. A radical reduction of its territory occurred in 1874. Perm, Orenburg, Ufa and Ural provinces and Turgai region were transferred to the established Orenburg educational district. At the same time educational institutions of Nizhny Novgorod and Penza provinces were withdrawn from the Kazan educational district and transferred to the neighbouring educational districts. As a result, since 1874 Kazan educational district included Astrakhan, Vyatka, Kazan, Samara, Saratov and Simbirsk provinces, and also the Inner Kirghiz hordes since 1893.
There were such reasons of reducing the Kazan educational district territory as complexity of business trips performed by educational administration to the distant areas from the centre, difficulties in the organization of personal contacts between lower officials from local educational departments and the tutor arose because of the big distances, increased volume of management and record keeping documents with which the limited number of officials of the educational district already could not cope (National Archives of the Republic of Tatarstan). Along with them, essential role was played by the "Muslim question", i.e., existence of two independent educational district directorates in the Volga region and the Pre-Urals region was intended to make the implementation of the new school course more effective in relation to Muslim peoples.
The educational district was managed by tutors, who were officials from the Ministry of Public Education; they managed the educational institutions in the subordinate territory and were appointed to this post by the personal decree of the Tsar. The tutors of the Kazan educational district interacted with the heads of provinces included in this district, and with provincial gendarmerie departments in developing issues related to the opening of educational institutions, political trustworthiness of their founders, teachers, students, the population's assessment of innovations in education, etc.
At first, the Kazan University played a leading role in managing the schools in Kazan educational district, but under the Regulations on study districts dated 25 June 1835, the control over public education in educational districts was concentrated under their tutors.
Methods
The methodological basis of the study was the civilizational approach, which allowed us to consider the object of the study from a multifaceted perspective, in terms of the influence of factors of various kinds - political, social, economic, spiritual, and cultural.
While working on the paper, the authors were guided by certain scientific principles. According to the principle of historicism, the events and processes studied were considered inseparable from the historical context of the epoch in question. According to the social approach principle, the object under study was considered from the perspective of different social strata of Russian society. In accordance with the objectivity principle, the authors tried to avoid the influence of personal factors on the objectivity of the conclusions presented in the paper.
Results and Discussion
The post-reform period determined to a certain extent a new stage in the activities of the Kazan district administration. In 1873, additional posts were introduced due to the expansion of its activities and the increase in the work volume. The documentation of Muslim schools and Russian-Tatar educational institutions was concentrated in the Third Department.
In 1863, the public-school inspector post of the Kazan educational district was renamed to the district inspector. Duties of the district inspectors included: an audit of educational institutions; review of public-school Board reports, etc. In 1872, the Ministry of National Education issued a circular to 'specialize' the work of district inspectors by certain kinds of schools (KROPOTKINA, 2005).
This principle, apparently, formed the basis for realization of the school policy in relation to Muslim peoples: in 1871 the post of the inspector of Tatar, Bashkir and Kirghiz schools responsible by the tutor of the Kazan educational district was introduced in the staff of the department. The inspector had to "by persuasion" establish Russian-Tatar schools and Russian classes at confessional schools for the Muslim population and control their activities; direct Tatar teacher schools; plan and review educational literature for Tatar and Russian-Tatar schools, as well as books for the Muslim population, aimed at promoting general education among them (On the foundation in Kazan educational district of an inspector position for Tatar, 1877). Later the inspector of Tatar, Bashkir and Kirghiz schools, the famous Turkologist V. V. Radlov was given the right to prepare and publish textbooks without preliminary censorship, but with the sanction of the tutor of the Kazan educational district, also to appoint teachers in Russian classes at mektebs and madrasahs and in Russian-Tatar schools (National Archives of the Republic of Tatarstan). After the transfer of Muslim confessional educational institutions to holding by the Ministry of Public Education (1874), the duties of the inspector included control over numerous mektebs and madrasahs in the provinces of the Kazan educational district.
The post of inspector of Tatar, Bashkir and Kirghiz schools was abolished in 1889, and the supervision over mektebs and madrasahs in the Kazan was taken over by the directors of public schools, who were responsible for the management of primary schools.
The inspectors of public schools were approved in their posts by the tutor of the educational district. According to the "Regulations" of 1874, they inspected the schools, wrote reports on the results of inspections, annual reports on the state of public schools in the counties under their jurisdiction, supervised public schools and home schooling, attended the teacher training courses for teachers of primary schools and, if possible, the examinations for obtaining certificates of privileges for military service. In addition, they carried out urgent commissions for primary schools from the education authorities and provincial governments.
There was an Imperial approval on 25 May 1874 by the State Council in each province, where the zemstvo self-government was introduced, for the creation of two positions for inspectors of public schools (including in Kazan provinces, except for Astrakhan). The "Regulation on public elementary schools” issued in 1874 allowed establishing the necessary number of inspectors in each province depending on the number of primary public schools, which subsequently increased number in the Kazan educational district. With many educational institutions, which reported to the inspectors, one county was usually divided into several inspectorate districts. Otherwise, a single inspectorate district could comprise several districts.
Between 1873 and 1887, there was a threefold increase in the number of inspectors in the Kazan education district (36), whose numbers remained unchanged in the 1890s. In the early 20th century their number doubled (65) (See Table 1).
| Provinces | 1876 | 1887 | 1891 | 1913 |
| Astrakhan | - | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Vyatka | 2 | 11 | 11 | 17 |
| Kazan | 2 | 6 | 6 | 13 |
| Samara | 2 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Saratov | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| Simbirsk | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| Total | 10 | 34 | 34 | 65 |
The increase in the number of public-school inspectors was caused, first, by the increase in the number of primary schools. If by 1900 in Kazan educational district, excluding confessional schools, there were 414 elementary schools, by 1914 their number was 3.86 times increased and amounted to 1601 (KROPOTKINA, 2005). However, the increase in the number of inspectors did not solve the problem of their heavy workload. Thus, according to reports of public-school directors, in 1913 one inspector had to supervise on the average the activities of more than 120 primary schools, including mektebes and madrassas (National Archives of the Republic of Tatarstan) scattered over long distances.
The public-school inspectors were required to have higher or secondary education and necessarily to have experience of pedagogical work. It is noteworthy that a significant number of inspectors of public schools in the Kazan educational district in the early 20th century were recruited from among those who had a higher theological education.
The relationship between the various agencies of the education authority and their interaction with other state institutions was carried out by means of correspondence. A common form of communication with the responsible authorities was orders of an informative nature. The lower echelons of the school administration communicated with their superiors, both local and central, by means of reports and memoranda. The periodical reporting to higher authorities was made by means of reports. Despite repeated changes in the forms of reporting, the annual reports of the tutor of the Kazan educational district to the Ministry of National Education were based on the type of educational institutions and boiled down to the systematization of general information about a school, its staff, students, sanitary condition (KROPOTKINA, 2005). Also, some questions were solved by officials during personal conversations.
The student, who receives excellent feedback during the lesson walks out of the door feeling confident and motivated for further improving. A student who receives poor feedback will feel the opposite. The feedback should be defined as "great work" with the meaning not only on how to correct the mistakes of students so that they can study in the future without undermining their confidence, the modern teacher's role in educational process (DROZDOVA et al., 2021).
Summary
The organization of the institutes in the Kazan Educational District was subordinate to the objectives on centralization and systematization of the public education management. Tutors were in charge of directing and controlling the implementation of the government's school policy in the district. The direct implementation of the school policy regarding the Muslim peoples in the Kazan educational district was the responsibility of an inspector of Tatar, Bashkir and Kirghiz schools. After this post was abolished, inspector’s functions were taken over by the directors and inspectors of national schools; this corresponded to a trend towards a unified management of primary education.
Conclusions
To sum up, the territory of the Kazan district included provinces with a substantial Muslim component in the population, the overwhelming majority of which was formed by Tatars. Most of the Muslim Tatars in the district lived in the Kazan Province. In general, the activities of the Kazan educational district within the chronological framework under study were guided by the general aim of unifying the empire’s administration. One of the main results in this political trend was the large formal control of the structures included in the Ministry of National Education over the Tatars-Muslim denominational schools.
Acknowledgments
The work is performed according to the Russian Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University.
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Información adicional
How to reference this article: SAMATOVA, C. K.; IBRAGIMOV, R. R.; FAZLIEV, A. M. The role of the administration of the Kazan Educational District in the school policy of tsarism in relation to muslim tatars (second half of the XIX – beginning of the XX centuries). Revista on line de Política e Gestão Educacional, Araraquara, v. 25, n. esp. 2, p. 769-779, May 2021. e-ISSN:1519-9029. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22633/rpge.v25iesp.2.15263