School education of Southern Bessarabia in the light of official statistics (1878- 1910)

Abstract

The article analyzes data on the education system in Bessarabia presented in the pages of the
official statistical yearbook "Review of the Bessarabian province" for 1877-1910. The collection was
published by the Bessarabian Statistical Committee in Chisinau. Based on the textual material and
statistical tables, an analysis was made of the education system in Southern Bessarabia after its
accession to the Russian Empire after the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. A
comparative description of the number of educational institutions in the region, the composition
(quantitative and gender) of their students is given. The level of material support of educational
institutions of the region, the participation of the local administration in the maintenance of schools
and gymnasiums is assessed.
There are several groups of educational institutions, which differ in the level of subordination
(state, church, regional, private) and educational orientation (craft, teacher, sea, medical assistants).
The reasons for the decrease (increase) in the number of educational institutions in Southern
Bessarabia are analyzed, the main errors and mistakes of the imperial government regarding the
organization of education in the region are highlighted.
The comparative tables compiled by the author allow to compare the level of development of
the education system in Izmail and Akkerman counties, to determine the place of church schools in
the educational process in the region, to identify specific educational institutions such as private
schools and boarding schools, craft classes and rural schools, central schools in the former German
colonies and Jewish schools and schools.
It was concluded that the government and the local administration did not pay enough
attention to educational issues, especially in relation to the children of various ethnic groups who
lived in Southern Bessarabia.