Public Education in the Activities of Bodies of Local Self-Government of the Kalmyk Steppe in the 19th - the Beginning of the 20th Centuries

Issues of social sphere have always been given close attention by local authorities. Thus, both the Central government and local authorities were concerned by the organization of the teaching system. Meanwhile, until the 19th century there were only Khurul and missionary schools in the Kalmyk steppe which played a positive role in spreading literacy among the Kalmyk population. Secular education was born in the Kalmyk steppe only in the middle of the 19 century. The incorporation of the national borderlands of the Russian Empire brought to the fore the need for qualified personnel able to participate in the governance of the territory under the Imperial law. On the basis of archival documents, the author examines the activities of bodies of local self-government of the Kalmyk steppe in the 19 - early 20 centuries. Special attention is paid to the decisions of ulus and aimak gatherings on the issue of opening the schools and their funding. The author concludes that despite the deficit of funding for public education, the public administration managed to solve the problem with the help of the state, thus breaking the plans of the conservative government. So, under the influence of economic, national and historical factors, the process of establishment of the system of education in the Kalmyk steppe during the 19 - early 20 centuries was taking place. The research has shown that its effective development was dependent on the activities of bodies of local self-government. However, the Kalmyk steppe was still one of the culturally backward border regions of Russia.

local authorities, public education, gathering, ulus schools, the Kalmyk college, social capital

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