International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
40
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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue01 2025
PAGE NO.
40-44
10.37547/ijhps/Volume05Issue01-11
Activities of educational system in Turkestan during
Russian empire
Zavkiddin Buriyev
Doctoral student (DSc) of Bukhara State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
26 October 2024;
Accepted:
28 December 2024;
Published:
30 January 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the influence and significance of schools and educational institutions established
during the Russian Empire’s occupation on the development of Uzbekistan’s education system, based on historical
evidence. In the introduction, the challenges arising during the Russian Empire's conquest of Central Asia and the
resulting need for a structured education system are analyzed. A comparative analysis approach was applied in
evaluating the sources.
The study investigates the issue using a chronological sequence, comparative analysis, and regional approach,
drawing on archival materials from the republic and regional archives. Specifically, the study focuses on the
provinces of the Turkestan General-Governorship, with the Caspian region serving as a primary example.
In conclusion, the article discusses the impact of the Turkestan General-
Governorship’s education system on the
current education system, offering solutions to the challenges that emerged as a result of this historical influence.
Keywords:
Educational institutions, chronological sequence, comparative analysis.
Introduction:
The resettlement policy of the Russian
Empire played a pivotal role in shaping the socio-
cultural landscape of the Caspian region, particularly in
terms of public education. As Russian settlers moved
into the area, there was an immediate need for schools,
libraries, and other cultural institutions to support the
growing population. The Russian government
recognized the necessity of educating the settlers and
developing a skilled workforce, leading to the
establishment of a formal education system. This
system not only aimed to integrate the Russian
population into the region but also served as a means
to maintain control over the newly acquired territories.
In this context, public education became a central
element of the Russian colonial strategy, impacting
both the Russian settlers and the indigenous
populations of the region. The development of schools,
the implementation of compulsory education, and the
growth of educational institutions were all part of a
broader effort to reshape the cultural and political
dynamics of the Caspian region during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries.
METHODS
This study employs a combination of historical,
archival, and comparative research methods to analyze
the development of public education and the role of
Russian schools in the Caspian region. The primary
materials used for this research include archival
documents, government orders, and periodical
publications from the late 19th to early 20th century,
particularly from the Russian Empire's administration in
Turkestan. These sources provide insight into the
policies and social conditions that influenced the
establishment and expansion of Russian educational
institutions.
Key archival materials include government records,
such as the orders of the Military People's
Administration and the Ministry of Public Education,
which were pivotal in shaping the educational policies
of the region. These records also contain detailed
information on the establishment of schools, teacher
salaries, and the demographic composition of students
attending these schools.
Additionally, the study incorporates statistical data
from the period, including enrollment numbers and
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2222)
reports from local educational institutions. These
figures are crucial in assessing the extent to which
education was made accessible to both Russian settlers
and the indigenous population. Periodicals from the
time, such as newspapers and educational journals,
were also consulted to understand the public discourse
surrounding education and the social dynamics in the
region.
In terms of methodology, the research follows a
comparative approach by analyzing the development
of educational institutions in various regions of the
Caspian region, such as Ashgabat, Kyzil-Arvat, and
Marv, based on available archival sources. The study
also utilizes a chronological analysis to track the
evolution of educational policies and practices over
time, with particular attention to the reforms
introduced under regional administrators like A.N.
Kuropatkin.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The resettlement policy of the Russian Empire led to
the formation of Russian settlements and cities in need
of schools, libraries and other cultural institutions. The
government, in turn, felt an urgent need for specialists
and qualified officials. The organization of public
education (opening of general education, religious
schools, as well as secondary educational institutions)
was an important point of the internal policy of the
Russian administration aimed at strengthening the
position of the newly arrived population. The first
founders of schools were Russian pathologists and their
wives. A certain role in the formation of the Russian
school business belonged to the head of the region K.
Komarova. He was the founder of a private charity that
supports educational initiatives in the region.
All city and primary schools are under the Ministry of
Public Education, and in terms of management, they
are under the supervision of the Kavkaz Educational
District. On January 1, 1896, the position of inspector
of public schools was established in the region.
In 1897, the head of the region tried to introduce
compulsory education among the Russian population.
According to the order of the Military People's
Administration, all school-aged children between the
ages of 7 and 12 had to attend primary schools for less
than two years. The attempt to introduce universal
education failed to achieve its goal. However, it cannot
be denied that the attendance of students in schools in
Russian villages has improved significantly. Most of the
children of school age attended school.
According to the periodical press before the revolution,
one Russian school in the Caspian region had 700
students, then, for example, in the Stavropol region,
such a school had 4,500 students. These results were
not bad for the time, because the Caspian Region was
the last to join Russia compared to other parts of the
Russian Empire.
The development of public education began to move
forward, especially during the period of regional
administration of A.N.Kuropatkin in 1890-1898. During
this time, the number of schools almost tripled. In
1895, a new charter was approved, according to which
one more grade school should be opened in the Russian
village. In 1890-1896, despite the lack of funds for the
maintenance of Russian schools, the amount of
expenses increased [1].
At the same time, it should be noted that among those
who immigrated from Russia to the Caspian region,
there were many extremely poor and those who had no
inclination for any social activities. The colonial
administration supported the former in every way at
the expense of the indigenous population, and fought
against the latter. In this regard, it should be noted that
the indigenous population, who always followed
humanitarian traditions, helped the Russian population
in difficult times, especially when there was a drought
or other disasters, despite all the pressure and social
oppression from colonialism. This was even recognized
by all the courts of the colony.
For example, the head of the Turkestan State Property
Administration wrote about this on October 9, 1898:
"the people who moved around often helped the
Russian population, so the immigrants survived the
famine and saved their livestock. [2]"
The Cossacks and Russian-speaking population, who
migrated from Russia in the first periods in Turkestan
regions, did not pay attention to the issues of education
of their children and organization of schools for a long
time. Only in 1852-1858 in some places - including
Perovsk, Kazalinsk, Sergiopol (Ayagoz), Lepinsk (Kopal),
a 2-3-year training was organized by Orthodox priests.
In 1885-1899, due to the construction of the
Krasnovodsk-Ashkhabad- Samarkand and Khovos-
Andijan railways, railway court schools were opened in
major stations. In the 70s of the 19th century, the
establishment of Russian-style schools began, but in
the mid-90s, their number reached only 28, and 51
Russians and 650 children of the local population
studied in them. [3]
The first Russian schools in the Kaspiyorti region: Kyzil-
Arvat one-class school (opened in 1882), Ashgabat two-
class school (1884), Nikolayev church school in Fort
Alexandrovsky in 1888, two-class school (1868),
Ashgabat two- class women's school, 1892 y., Marv City
Women's School (1894). By the beginning of the
October Revolution, more than 80 primary educational
institutions (including Russian and ethnic Russian
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
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schools) were operating in Caspian 2.
In order to provide social support to teachers sent to
Russian settlements, their conditions were improved
and their salaries were increased. The salary of
teachers of educational institutions and private schools
is set at 1500 rubles per year. They were also given 500
rubles for food and 250 rubles for an apartment
(rent). Teachers lived in a separate room in the church
building, in schools and in private apartments. The
government allocated 100 rubles for educational
manuals, 300 rubles for handicraft equipment, 800
rubles for the repair of the school building, and 300
rubles for church prayer needs 3.
As of 1892, there were 12 Russian schools and
educational institutions and 1 Armenian prikhod school
under the church in Kaspiyorti region, where a total of
645 students of both sexes studied.
When it comes to 1-2 class primary educational
institutions in Kaspiyorti region, according to the data
of 1914, there are 72 such lower educational
institutions. They are mainly Tumanovsky, Vozelkovsky,
Dmitrievsky,
Komarovsky,
Yablonovsky,
Nizhe
Skobelevsky, Ashgabatsky, Fort- Alexandrovsky,
Iolatan, Murghab, Khivaabad, Cheleken, Takhtabozor,
O'tamish, etc. The Russian system was a place of
education. These educational institutions in the
Kaspiyorti region were mainly financed by the state,
and as of January 1, 1915, annual allocations amounted
to 48,841 rubles. Paying attention to the number of
students in these educational institutions, 270 students
graduated from these educational institutions in 1912,
251 students in 1913, and 392 students in 1914.
In 1915, in Kaspiyorti region, when paying attention to
the national ethnic composition of educational
institutions, there were 3,688 Russians, 45 Poles, 60
Germans with Russian citizenship, 210 Armenians, 2
Georgians, 16 Jews, 392 Turkmens, 139 children of
Kyrgyz, 86 Persians, 49 Tatars, and 72 representatives
of other nationalities were educated. [4]
The network of primary educational institutions
intended for the population of Europe includes one-
class and two-class schools financed by the province
and the Ministry of Public Education, schools financed
by the Caspian Railway, private schools, and parish
schools.
As a result of the measures implemented by the
Russian administration in the field of public education,
the main part of the Russian population was covered by
education. For example, in 1912, 762 school-age
children of the Russian population studied in schools,
which was equal to the number of literate Turkmen
children. This is primarily due to the fact that tsarism
sought to keep the Turkmen people in darkness and
ignorance, which, in turn, could not cause special
difficulties in managing the new colony. [5]
In the period under consideration, the public education
system of Kaspiyorti region is represented by special
and secondary schools. The first of them were the
school of horticulture and sericulture, the Russian
breed school under the division of horse breeding, the
Ashgabat railway technical school and the Marv school
of real education.
The network of secondary educational institutions
consisted of several gymnasiums and progymnasiums.
In the period of the Russian Empire, the Ashgabat
Men's and Women's Gymnasium, Marv Vocational
Technical College, Chorjoi, Nikolayev, Krasnovodsk
Men's Progymnasium, as well as the private men's
progymnasium in Krasnovodsk and the private
women's progymnasium named after S. Ponomareva,
which later received state status, can be cited as
examples.
of 1914, 519 students studied in the Ashgabat men's
gymnasium, 592 in the women's gymnasium, and 133
in the Marv vocational technical school. [6]
When analyzing the composition of students attending
Marv Vocational Technical College, out of 133 students,
74 were Russian, 33 Armenian, 7 Jewish, 13 Persian, 4
Turkmen, 1 Khiva, and one German.
Part of the Turkmen youth studied in Russian schools
opened by the administration in order to train the
necessary educated personnel. Russian-style schools
had a progressive importance in the life of the Turkmen
people. They were the first secular educational
institutions in the Caspian Sea and played a significant
role in introducing knowledge to the Turkmen.
Russian
authors
VPNalivkin,
SMGramenisky,
NPOstroumov,
APXoroshkhin, who touched on the issues of school and
madrasa activity, and others deliberately discredited it,
the enthusiasm of indigenous children and young
people to study in traditional educational institutions,
including madrasas. they did not say anything about
the convincing evidence that it is not only preserved,
but also increasing. However, the development of the
network of madrasahs, which has been significantly
updated, shows the growth of the awareness of the
national identity of the indigenous population, the
emergence of a much stronger movement of its
intellectual forces not only under the slogan of
enlightening the masses, but also under the slogan of
political and social liberation of the Kaspiyorti region
from colonial dependence. was a serious determining
factor. While some of the high-ranking Muslim clerics
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2222)
supported the anti-national practices of the
colonialists, many wealthy people, zamindars, and
commercial and industrial circles in Kaspiyorti region
actively supported the construction of existing
madrasahs. Therefore, by 1917, their total number
exceeded 440 in the country. [7]
With the rise of the revolutionary movement in the
country, progressives opened schools of the "usuli
savtiya" (sound schools, "new method"), and in a short
time they began to teach students literacy. A number
of studies have been created about these problems in
the history of Uzbekistan, and research in this direction
continues. Jadidism, which arose in such a situation,
developed and strengthened, first of all, due to the
implementation of his enlightenment ideas. The first
new method schools were opened in the Kaspiyorti
region at the end of the 80s of the 19th century.
Initially, representatives of the Tatar nation worked as
teachers in these schools. NPO Stroumov held the
position of chief inspector of educational institutions of
the Turkestan region in the colonial administration at
the end of the 80s of the XIX century and was directly
involved in the events taking place, especially the
processes in the field of education of the Muslim
population. therefore, there is no reason not to believe
his information about the time of the emergence of
new Methodist schools in the cities of the Caspian
region.
As for national schools in Kaspiyorti region, in 1904
there were 163 of these schools, where 2429 children
of the local population were educated. of July 1 , 1916
, it is 186, and when it is divided by uyezd, there are 30
in Ashgabat uyezd, 33 in Krasnovodsk uyezd, 50 in Tajan
uyezd, and 73 in Marv uyezd. Of these 186 schools, 1
was located in a madrasa building, 14 in rented
buildings, 84 in the houses of religious representatives,
47 in private buildings, 25 in mosques, and 15 in public
houses 1. If we divide the religious representatives of
186 schools in the uyezds of Kaspiyorti region according
to their place of education, the teacher (mulla) of this
school is divided as follows. 111 people were educated
in the center of Kaspiyorti region, 64 people in Bukhara,
9 people in Khiva, 1 person in Iran, 1 person in the local
Russian-Tuzem
educational
institution.
8293
Armenian-Gregorians, 137 Armenian Catholics, 1863
Roman Catholics, 1013 Jews, 145 sectarians, 1378
Baptists, and 1580 Protestants who immigrated during
this period. Only in the city of Ashgabat, there were
5507 Russian-speaking residents of the Christian
religion. Churches were built by the state, mainly for
the large number of Orthodox believers. The remaining
few are of other faiths confined to houses of worship.
In 1910-1912, school teachers of religious institutions
received a salary of 1,500 rubles, 500 rubles for food,
250 rubles for clothes, and rent in the amount of 100,
150 rubles. The priest's assistant received 750-850
rubles, the deacon 650 rubles. They would also enjoy
the donations that the peasants brought to the church.
100 rubles for textbooks, training manuals and teaching
aids, 800 rubles for specialized craft supplies, 300
rubles for church supplies are allocated to church
schools and educational institutes every year. If the
teacher lives in a separate room or rent, he is also given
rent money in the amount of 500 rubles per year. Along
with "God's prayers" (religious knowledge), moral
education, calculation (arithmetic), geography, and
Russian language were also taught in educational
institutions under the Church. These educational
institutions, mainly focused on literacy, are located in
the church building or in a separate building next to the
church. Pupils in them studied for 2-3 years, and there
were classes where boys and girls were taught together
or separately. The number of boys and girls receiving
education in a large number of settlements was 120-
150, in some 190- 200, in small villages from 10 to 35,
at most 40-50.
After the establishment of the Caspian region, the
Russian Empire took measures to protect the health of
the displaced population and introduce modern
medicine in this area. The territory of the province is
one of the ecologically difficult areas. Especially in the
region, due to the poor quality of water, many people
fell ill with fever, malaria, dysentery, Penda's ulcer and
leprosy, and this had serious consequences.
CONCLUSION
The article focuses on the resettlement policy of the
Russian Empire, which led to the establishment of
Russian settlements in need of schools, libraries, and
other cultural institutions. This policy also created a
significant demand for skilled specialists and qualified
officials. In response, the Russian government
prioritized the development of public education,
including the opening of general, religious, and
secondary schools, as part of its internal strategy to
strengthen the position of the newly settled
population.
The development of education in the Caspian region
began with efforts led by Russian settlers, including
pathologists and their families. Regional leaders like K.
Komarov played a key role in supporting educational
initiatives. By 1896, the region had a dedicated
inspector for public schools, and the government
sought to implement compulsory education for Russian
children aged 7 to 12. Although this initiative faced
challenges and did not achieve its goals, it significantly
increased school attendance in Russian villages.
By 1897, some schools in the Caspian region had large
International Journal Of History And Political Sciences
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International Journal Of History And Political Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2222)
student populations, such as a school in the Stavropol
region with 4,500 students. Despite limited resources,
public education expanded rapidly, especially under
the regional administration of A.N. Kuropatkin (1890-
1898), with the number of schools nearly tripling during
this period. Even though the region was one of the last
to join the Russian Empire, the educational network
grew significantly, and the number of schools in the
Caspian region by the time of the October Revolution
exceeded 80.
However, many settlers were poor and lacked a
commitment to education. Despite social and
economic challenges, the indigenous population often
helped the Russian settlers, particularly during difficult
times like droughts. The indigenous people's
humanitarian spirit was recognized by the colonial
administration.
The first Russian schools in the region were small, one-
or two-class institutions, and by 1892, there were 12
Russian schools and one Armenian church school in the
Caspian region. As the educational network expanded,
the government provided financial support for
teachers, including a salary and allowances for housing
and food. By 1914, the number of primary educational
institutions reached 72, and the Russian population's
literacy rate had improved significantly. In contrast, the
Turkmen population remained largely excluded from
formal education, as Tsarist policies aimed to keep
them in ignorance to facilitate control over the region.
The education system also included specialized and
secondary institutions, such as schools of horticulture,
sericulture, and technical colleges. By 1914, several
gymnasiums and vocational schools were operating,
such as the Ashgabat Men's and Women's Gymnasiums
and the Marv Vocational Technical College, which
served Russian and local students.
Despite the growth of Russian schools, many
indigenous Turkmen youth attended traditional
madrasahs, which played a crucial role in preserving
cultural identity and increasing political awareness. By
1917, the number of madrasahs in the region had
grown to over 440, reflecting a resurgence of local
education and the influence of political and social
movements, particularly those driven by the Jadidist
reformers. These reforms aimed at modernization and
enlightenment were supported by local elites who
sought to resist colonial oppression and foster the
intellectual and political liberation of the Caspian
region.
In summary, the Russian education system in the
Caspian region significantly impacted both Russian
settlers and indigenous populations. While Russian
education was a tool of colonial control, it also
contributed to the cultural and intellectual awakening
of the local people, leading to the rise of nationalist
movements and a push for social and political change.
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