Akhmet Baitursynov's principles of primary school education

Abstract

The article analyzes the position of the teacher of the nation, Akhmet Baitursynov, in primary school education. In the article «Еlementary school» by Akhmet Baitursynov the conclusions and principles were outlined, the concept of the alphabet and the subjects were studied at the initial stage, and were compared with the system of knowledge, provided by the updated program at the modern initial stage. The features and contradictions of the native language and the alphabet were analyzed in Baitursynov’s work. It was indicated that textbooks published before the thirties were developed in accordance with the nature of the language. Akhmet Baitursynov himself taught at the school for fourteen years, on the basis of this experience he wrote a textbook of the alphabet. He was a great reformer who not only enlightened the people, but also created knowledge about what needs to be learned. By this time, forty different alphabets had been published. The «Alphabet» of Akhmet is being used these days. The Kazakh school lost its way a little, dropped the «Alippe» («Alphabet») and «Ana tili» («Mother tongue»), and released the subject «Sauat ashu» (Literacy) (textbook) as part of the updated program. In the first year of school, one needs to learn his native language. The modern native language is a real integrated subject, which in the second grade is divided into literary reading and the Kazakh language. It is wrong to teach it in the second half of the first grade with the Kazakh language of instruction. Today, there are many unnecessary subjects in the first class (self-knowledge, knowledge of the world, natural science, English, Russian). We prove that we integrate the subjects that give the child a real functional education (ABC + native language + Kazakh). The importance of conducting disciplines at the origins only in the Kazakh language is proved. The quality of transmitted functional knowledge in primary subjects in modern schools is analyzed. The ideas of his contemporaries and other scientists about Akhmet Baitursynov are taken as a basis, the viability and suitability of textbooks and methodological manuals published by scientists to the modern education system is proved. It is shown that Akhmet Baitursynov brilliantly analyzed the then situation in the Kazakh steppe, the two systems of education in it, their benefits and harms. Unlike Russian schools, its everyday problems and the fact that the knowledge gained from it in modern language is not functional can be compared with today's.