Organization of teacher courses at municipal specialized schools in the Far East in the beginning of the 20th century

The article considers the state program of accelerated training of teachers in the Far East at the beginning of the 20th century on the example of organization of teacher courses at municipal specialized schools. Organization of the courses was a consequence of the high rates of primary education development in Russia. Lack of teachers often stood in the way of opening new schools. This forced the ministry to look for ways to accelerate the professional training of teachers. In 1900, "The Rules on Courses for Training Teachers" were approved. It was allowable to open one-year courses at municipal specialized schools, women's gymnasiums and progymnasiums. The courses were free of charge and financed by the treasury. It was assumed that every year ten candidates for teaching positions would graduate from the courses. Opening of courses became an opportunity for the rapid replenishment of teaching staff in the Far East, where there were no special pedagogical educational institutions. In 1899 in Khabarovsk teacher courses were opened at municipal specialized school for the first time. The development of courses in the Far East was restrained by the small number of municipal specialized schools where they could hold. The program of universal primary education in Russia gave a new impetus to addressing the issue of accelerated training of teaching staff. In 1907, the Ministry of Education developed “The Rules on Two-Year and Three-Year Courses”, which provided for the accelerated training of primary school teachers at municipal specialized schools according to the Regulations of 1872. The curricula of teacher courses had a form of part-time study in teacher's seminaries. During 1909-1914 teacher courses were opened all over the Far East: in Nikolsk-Ussuriysk (1909), Blagoveshchensk (1910), Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (1911), Nikolaevsk-on-Amur (1913), Vladivostok (1914). Opening of teacher courses in remote parts of the country’s east, in particular Kamchatka, was of prime importance. The courses became the first base of teacher education on the peninsula. The experience of teacher courses laid the foundation for the practice of accelerated teacher training.