THE FIRST STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE IRAVAN DISTRICT SCHOOL (1832-1845)

After the occupation of Azerbaijan by Tsarist Russia, a secular education system began to take shape in the region alongside traditional school and madrasa education. The goal was to Russify, Christianize, and ultimately assimilate the non-Russian population into Russian identity. Tsarist Russia tried to satisfy the need for Russian-speaking civil servants to work in state institutions through secular schools, to keep the local populations under control, to accelerate the policy of Russification as soon as possible, and to strengthen its power. Tsarist Russia began its policy of Russification by introducing a secular education system to the region. Although the empire considered itself a more progressive and developed country in its relations with the national borderlands, it was significantly behind compared to foreign countries. The first Charter for the schools of the South Caucasus was approved on August 2, 1829, based on the charter intended for the central provinces of Russia. Thus, the foundation for secular education based on the European model was laid in the South Caucasus. The statute provided for the opening of 20 district schools in the South Caucasus, one of which was to be opened in Iravan on January 11, 1831. Due to various reasons, it was not possible to open the district school at the intended time. The district school was opened one year later, on January 14, 1832. The following subjects were taught at the district school: 1) theology and sacred history; 2) calligraphy; 3) arithmetic; 4) Russian language; 5) local languages. From 1836 to 1856, Molla Taghi Mahmud Oglu, and from 1856 to 1869, Mirza Elkhanov worked as a teacher of the Azerbaijani language and Sharia at the Iravan district school. Between 1836 and 1869, 364 Azerbaijani students studied at the district school. The two-year district school was later transformed into a three-year district school (1844), then into a progymnasium (1869), and later into a gymnasium (1881).