Free Education at the University of St. Volodymyr in the 19th Century

Abstract

The article highlights the features of professional training of students of the University of St. Volodymyr, who received the right to study at public expense in the 19th century. Under the conditions of elite education, accessible to a limited number of young people due to its high cost and social and religious discrimination, the institution of state-funded students allowed talented young people to obtain higher education and pursue a scientific or bureaucratic field. In modern Ukraine, where the issue of reducing the number of government orders, limiting the number of scholars, the historical experience of the University of Kiev is more relevant than ever. The article uses general scientific principles of historicism and objectivity and uses analytical, descriptive, comparative-historical methods. Their use allowed to examine the conditions of study, the level of professional training of students, as well as to involve new historical sources in scientific circulation. The research is conducted on the basis of a wide source base with the involvement of archival materials. For the first time, an attempt is made to analyse the scientific works of students who were dependent on the state or received a scholarship for writing a scientific paper. It is proved that the scientific level of student works written in the second half of the 19th century is much higher than in the works created in the first decades of the University of St. Voladymyr. It should be emphasized that the level of professional training of state-funded students is much higher than that of their own. The threat of being deprived of state financial aid forced students to attend lectures honestly, prepare for exams and constantly work on scientific research. Despite the success of student youth in the scientific field, the percentage of scholarship holders at the University of Kyiv was much lower than at other Ukrainian universities. Studying the conditions of study, the content of scientific works of students who were on state support in other universities of the Russian Empire will determine the level of professional training in each educational institution.