MODERNIZATION OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM AS A FACTOR OF CHANGE IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETY (1920-1930s)

Abstract

Based on the analysis of sources and historiography, the article examines the issues of illiteracy eradication and modernization of the education system in Kazakhstan as a complex and multifaceted process. The historical period of the 1920s and 1930s was associated with the construction of a new socialist society, which makes it possible to consider the elimination of illiteracy as part of a broader process of social modernization. In the course of modernization, the entire traditional education system has undergone changes due to the nomadic lifestyle and low population density. The achievements and traditions of the Muslim school have been radically changed.  Because of this, the article also describes documents reflecting the reaction of the local population to educational initiatives. And they were not always positive, there were even cases of sabotage of the work of literacy centers. These documents allow us to understand how the traditional society perceived the modernization initiatives of the Soviet government. Special attention is paid to the educational role of the Kazakh intelligentsia in the development of national schools and the Kazakh language, as well as the consequences of alphabet changes during the period under study. At the same time, the article also identifies regional features of this process. It shows changes not only in quantitative indicators, such as the literacy rate, but also qualitative changes in society. The study also highlights the most significant achievements of Russian scientists in identifying both shortcomings and, above all, progressive aspects of modernization.  After all, today Kazakhstan has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, which is a direct consequence of the educational reforms of the Soviet period.  Also, while in the traditional Kazakh society girls' access to education was limited, today women in Kazakhstan are actively involved in the educational, economic and political life of the country. All these processes combined have led to a general rise in culture and education in Kazakhstan. The materials and methods used in the study allow a comprehensive approach to the study of the campaign to eliminate illiteracy in Kazakhstan in the 1920s and 1930s, to identify its specifics and consequences for the traditional Kazakh society.