Professor M.Ya. Kittary and Technical Education in the Russian Empire

Abstract

Throughout its history, Kazan University has always been proud of its distinguished alumni and esteemed professors. Among them, Modest Yakovlevich Kittary, a professor at Kazan Imperial University and the head of the Department of Technology from 1850 to 1857, stands out as a strong advocate for technical education. He was one of the few who embraced and supported the state’s vision for universities as centers of academic, pedagogical, educational, and cultural progress within the province, region, and the entire nation. As a passionate civic and public activist, he championed the importance of technical education for industrialists and the general public, recognizing its potential to elevate the level of culture, literacy, and prosperity. His work prompted the revival of the Kazan Economic Society, the opening of new factories, as well as technical and technological advances. M.Ya. Kittary’s life has been the research focus of many Kazan University scholars. Here, his contribution to promoting technical education is analyzed in greater detail based on the materials from the Journal of the Ministry of National Education. Particular attention is paid to the changes in the educational system of the Russian Empire during that period, as documented by the above journal, and the central role of M.Ya. Kittary in the modernization of the higher technical education landscape.