G. H. CHALKHUSHANS ACTIVITIES IN THE PEDAGOGICAL FIELD

Abstract

The name of Grigory Chalkhushyan, a well-known lawyer, publicist, historian, speaker of the City Duma of Nakhichevanon-Don, originally from Armenian Crimean immigrants, is associated not only with lawmaking and success in his professional field, but also with the field of education and training of the younger generation. After graduating from the Lazarev Institute, he entered and graduated from the Law Faculty of Moscow University. Here, at the Faculty of Law, famous during this period for its liberal traditions, he met many progressive figures of that time and absorbed many of their ideas for the rest of his life. Returning to his native Nakhichevan, he is actively involved in socio-political activities. A number of files dedicated to G.H. Chalkhushyan’s pedagogical activity and pedagogical ideas have been preserved in the National Archive of Armenia. Unfortunately, there is not a single work in Russian and foreign historiography that fully analyzes the active socio-political and journalistic activities of the outstanding personality of Nakhichevanon-Don Grigory Khristoforovich Chalkhushyan. Having received a fairly conservative Armenian family upbringing, he defended traditional family values from the very beginning of his active social activity. Being a member of the Nakhichevanon-Don City Duma, he repeatedly made various proposals related to the establishment of educational affairs in the city. His pedagogical ideas were not reflected in the studies of historians and local historians. It was he who became the chairman of the association of Parent Committees of educational institutions of Nakhichevan-on-Don. The Parent Committee headed by the chairman – G.H.Chalkhushyan attached serious importance to the health and success of the students. He also called for paying attention to the problems of extracurricular supervision in order to organize places for children and youth to relax. Attention was paid to both nutrition and children’s health. The issues of moral education of children have been repeatedly noted in the reports of G. H. Chalkhushyan. One of the most important aspects of the upbringing of the younger generation, he considered the need to protect children from the harmful influence of the street. Holding the position of a public speaker of the City Duma and having excellent knowledge of the situation in Nakhichevan-on-Don in the field of education, he could not help but see how the lack of a gymnasium negatively affects the education process of Nakhichevan youth. Occupying this semi-official public position – chairman of Parents’ Committees, Grigory Khristoforovich Chalkhushyan touched upon very important issues concerning not only teachers and students, but also parents and in general everything that can affect the spiritual and physical development of children and more than once received the most sincere words of gratitude from the local Armenian society. Thanks to the research of the activities and works of this undeservedly forgotten personality, previously unexplored historical sources in both Russian and Armenian are introduced into scientific circulation.