The development of agrarian education on Stavropol Territory in the beginning of XX th century

The development of agrarian education on 

Stavropol Territory in the beginning of XX ^{th century}

Up to the end of the XIX ^th century there were 578 educational institutions, in the year of 1913^th there were  816, including 18 general secondary and specialized secondary schools ( like gymnasiums, eparchial and general schools), also there were 3 vocational schools, 795 initial schools and parochial schools.

According to the population census of 1897 the Stavropol province population literacy made up 14,3 per cent, and in Stavropol  made up  43,7 per cent.

As for the beginning of the XX ^th century the majority of the teachers and lectures of the Stavropol province had no special pedagogical education, so in 1912 the Teacher’s Institution was opened.

“The Society for assistance to national education distribution» has been organized in Stavropol for education enlightenment improvement.

In autumn of 1919 under the initiative and on means of the Stavropol technical and economic knowledge distribution society Stavropol Agrarian and  Land improvement Institution had been opened in city.

As the Stavropol province gave over a quarter of grain collected in the North Caucasus, 85,7 % of the population (according to the  census of 1897^th ) have been occupied in agriculture sector but till 1910 to Stavropol Territory there was no expert with higher education on agriculture thus agrarian high school was necessary. The station of protection of plants has been opened only in 1917.

   The students of Stavropol Agrarian and  Land improvement Institution, 1923

In 1922 just elected to the position of the professor of pedagogies George Konstantinovich Prave has put at disposal of the institute a private library and mobile department of the museum which was created by himself - today it is the Stavropol Local History museum  named after G.N.Prozritelev and G.K.Prave.

George Konstantinovich Prave

The institution consists of: an agrarian secondary technical school, opened in 1919; two departments – the agronomical department and the engineering land improvement department, an experimental agricultural station with a botanic garden, two state farms, a farm, a rabbit hutch and some apiary.

In  1920 the Soviet Power was settled  down in Stavropol, and on March, 23^rd  1920 at the session of the Stavropol Revolutionary Committee  board the following statement  was declared : “ To recognize the agricultural institute as extremely important official establishment” and to give to it “ the best of available building in Stavropol  - the building of Eparchial School”.

Training at the institute was three-year. Since October, 1st, 1920 according to the decision People`s Commissariat for Education the labor department with two-year term of training has been opened. A.E. Goncharov has headed the faculty.

in 1922 there were 431 persons trained at the institution. 298 persons were trained on the agronomical department, the head of the department was professor T.M.Manuylov. 133 persons were trained on the department of land improvement, professor N.M.Ostrogorsky was the dean. There were 90 persons of auditors on the labor faculty. The staff consisted of 111 persons, 43 from them were higher-education teaching personnel.

Students of agronomical faculty on the grain elevator, 1922г.

Training was on trimesters, in September students participated in sowing works, had some vocations on Christmas, Easter and May Holiday and  during summertime;  examinations were held on autumn, winter and spring. Up to the  1921  senior students studied theology.

In 1923 because of a lack of means for the maintenance the institute has been closed, and the building and the institutional property have been given  to the agricultural technical school.

For the termination of training students have been sent in Ordzhonikidzevsky and Novocherkassk agricultural institutes.