Organization of School Education on the Trans-Baikal Railway in the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

In the article the issue of the beginning of work experience and the development of the secondary schools in the Trans-Baikal section of the Trans-Siberian Railway is observed. The Trans-Baikal railway was the most important strategic object of the cross-border territory. Its effective activity was the key to the successful development and accelerated integration of the Eastern suburbs into the General Imperial space. Historiographic analysis showed a poor degree of knowledge of the sociocultural aspect in the activities of the Trans-Siberian Railway, which determined the purpose of the study. The study was conducted on the basis of historical and archival, comparative, statistical methods. A number of archival documents are mentioned in science for the first time. According to the author, the problem of providing the railway with a stable staff and the organization of traffic safety made it necessary to implement a socially oriented program for road employees. The organization of a school network at major railway stations was recognized as a promising area. Based on archival materials, the author investigated the process of its creation. It was established that to create a school network on the Trans-Baikal section of the road, special authorities were formed ‒ the Committee, local guardianships, and the position of an auditor was established. The formation order, principles of activity and competence of government bodies are determined. It was noted that the sphere of power of the authorities were economic and administrative issues. The organization of the educational process remained the subject of the Ministry of Education. Based on the clerical materials, the author determined the sources and procedure for financing educational institutions. The author notes that the Ministry of Railways allocated most of the funds for school maintenance. We established that 21 educational institutions were organized on the Trans-Baikal section of the road. The schools were jointly run by the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Education, and the Orthodox Church. The author noted the unchangeable teaching staff in the Trans-Siberian schools, a higher salary in comparison with schools of other departments. Attention is drawn to the annual increase in the number of students and the invariable percentage of graduates. The author gives a generalized description of the teaching and student staff of railway schools. In conclusion, it was noted that the experience of creating a departmental school network has shown positive results, contributing to the development of cross-border territories Keywords: Trans-Siberian Railway, Trans-Baikal section, school network, social sphere, school committee