Methodology of Abulla Avloni

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Abdulla Avloni introduced an immeasurable contribution to the development of science, education, pedagogical activity, the formation of national spirituality and national consciousness. The school “Usuli jadid” (a new school) of the jadid educators made a sharp turn in the educational process of Turkestan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and clearly showed that the methods of teaching in the ancient madrasas are outdated.

The school “Usuli jadid” differed from the ancient madrasah in that it harmoniously combined religious and secular knowledge. It was the teaching of only the religious sciences that left Turkestan in the last ranks among the developed states and did not allow the use of their achievements. But by this we are far from affirming that religious knowledge is not needed. One of the goals of the school was to preserve the purity of religion, the assimilation of secular knowledge on the basis of an exchange of experience among world states. In schools “Usuli jadid” was taught without separation from each other as religious and worldly science. Due to the insufficient number of textbooks, this process was very difficult. Later, on the initiative of the jadid educators, thanks to their courage, this gap was filled. Speaking about the pedagogy of the 20th century, one cannot but mention the textbooks of Abdulla Avloni. His pedagogical activity made a new turn in the educational system of that time. Because such issues as nationalism, mentality, struggle for independence, lightning flashed in textbooks, works and articles.

His books “Muallimi avval” (“The First teacher”) and “Muallima sony” (“The Second teacher”) deserve special attention. Because when writing the first of these books, he clearly followed the philosophical principles of induction and deduction, namely the principle of “from simple to complex.” This, in turn, has become the right direction for raising the level of lessons, achievement of the set goals. In addition, in textbooks “… where to write and give capacious, simple examples. Capital, middle and end letters are explained. As a result, it goes to the text: the original text is called “School”. It goes without saying it’s about the qualities of the school. The writer completes the expositions by the following lines:

Restlessly study at school, sons, sons,

You will become once famous people, sons”1

The second book “Muallima sony” is written in a more complicated way and is considered the continuation of the textbook “Muallimi avval”. The second textbook simply and interestingly describes worldly events and folklore, taking into account age, intelligence and intellect. In these textbooks, we can clearly see our own position on the example of education, upbringing and science.

One of such works is “Turkiy Guliston or behavior” (“Turkiy Guliston yohud axloq”), it promotes upbringing and ethics, knowledge and courage; however, hatred, revenge, conflicts and oppression are condemned. This work serves as a reference source for enriching the spiritual world of the youth of Turkestan, expanding their horizons. It is dominated by the questions of education, upbringing and ethics. The issue of upbringing was put on par with learning and was evaluated as the basis of pedagogy.

Indeed, pedagogy is upbringing. And, consequently, upbringing is also the basis of science. The following words of Abdulla Avloni about education are very important: “Educators are doctors, as a healer heals the bodily diseases of a person, so in the upbringing of a child it is necessary to bring up indignation towards anger and dirt and encourage the desire for purity of spirit”2.

: “Education for us is either life or death, either salvation or doom, either bliss or distress”3. (…tarbiya bizlar uchun yo hayot – yo mamot, yo najot – yo halokat, yo saodat – yo falokat masalasidur). His point of view that the bodily education, education of thinking, and ethical education are inextricably linked, is still relevant to this day.

“Bodily education also assists in the education of thinking. The body and spirit are opposite, but they are one. If the body is not kept clean, if it is not protected from bad habits, then this is comparable to cleaning the lining of clothes, without cleaning it from the outside. For the education of thinking, a strong and healthy body is needed”4. (Badan tarbiyasining fikr tarbiyasiga ham yordami bordur. Jism ila ruh ikkisi bir cho’ponning o’ng ila tersi kabidur. Agar jism tozalik ila ziynatlanmasa, yomon xulqlardan saqlanmasa, choponni ustini qo’yib astarini yuvub ovora bo’lmoq kabidurki, har vaqt ustidagi kiri ichiga uradur. Fikr tarbiyasi uchun mahkam va sog’lom bir vujud kerakdur). The author compares the relationship between various positive and negative qualities of a person, the influence of his external world on the internal. A healthy person has a healthy mindset, in the thinking of a sick person there are always shortcomings and, of course, one day this abscess will open, which, in turn will affect other organs. People in the same way through their incorrectly formed ideas have a negative impact on society.

Speaking about the education of thinking, “The idea is the reason people are honest and energetic. Teaching this takes place under the guidance of the teacher, for the strength, beauty and breadth of thinking depend on the education of the teacher. Despite the difference between lesson and education, they are inseparable from each other”5. (Fikr insonning shafoatlik, g’ayratlik bo’lishiga sabab bo’ladur. Bu tarbiya muallimlarning yordamiga so’ng daraja muhtojdurki, fikrning quvvati, ziynati, kengligi muallimning tarbiyasiga bog’liqdur. Dars ila tarbiya orasida bir oz farq bor bo’lsa ham, ikkisi bir-biridan ayrilmaydurgan, birining vujudi biriga boylangan jon ila tan kabidur). A reflection of this in our time can serve as a statement of the First President of Uzbekistan I.A.Karimov: “Upbringing cannot be separated from education, and education – from upbringing. This is the eastern point of view; this is the eastern philosophy of life”6. (Ta’limni tarbiyadan, tarbiyani esa ta’limdan ajratib bo’lmaydi – bu sharqona qarash, sharqona hayot falsafasidir). Moral education is one of the most beautiful human qualities. It is a reflection of learning. Regarding moral education Abdullah Avloni says that the teacher himself must be educated, that the unity of the word and deeds has a positive effect on the upbringing of the disciples, otherwise the students may doubt their teacher and desecrate their thinking. The morality of any person is manifested in his upbringing. Thus, in the basis of any person’s thinking and morals is upbringing. If the cornerstone of education is laid properly, then such a building will stand for a long time. The hardness of the “cornerstone” depends on the education and upbringing of the person. Without proper direction of education and upbringing in society there will be no strength. And this strength depends on the education of young people. Effective use of methods and methodology of upbringing in the teaching process improves the quality of teaching.

When we look at the life and work of this writer, we see that the issues of man’s perfect education are always at the center of his attention. Indeed, every educator, who understands that the upbringing of today’s youth into comprehensively developed individuals is the guarantor of the fact that the state will be great, should serve as a bridge to Abdulla Avloni’s heritage.

In particular, Abdulla Avloni’s methodology was very strong in his textbooks, which are based on such methods as comparison, structuring, synthesis and analysis. In fact, the textbooks created by him help students acquire knowledge and skills. Since Abdulla Avloni knew Russian classical literature and European culture, like other teachers of the jaded enlighteners, it would not be a mistake to say that his ideas about upbringing, science and education are applicable to the teacher of our day. Thus, every teacher, using Abdulla Avloni’s methodology of writing in the creation of his textbooks, teaching aids of methodological aids, contributes to the education of the younger generation and the dissemination of knowledge and education of young people. It is no exaggeration to say that his position is still an example for imitation. The use of the spiritual heritage created by Abdulla Avloni will serve for the correct organization of the educational process, being an important factor in penetrating the necessary information in young people’s minds in a short time.