EDUCATION IN UKRAINE DURING TNE REVOLUTION OF 1917 – 1921: AN UNFINISHED ATTEMPT TO REFORM

Abstract

The paper describes quite a successful attempt to reform the system of education at the Ukrainian territories during the period of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917 – 1921. The attempt was well documented in legislation acts by the Central Council of Ukraine, Hetmanship and the Ukrainian People's Republic (Directorate of Ukraine), local regulations and periodicals of that time. The key goals of the reforms were to Ukrainianize the education in the Ukrainian state, decentralize it, create a unified system of the academic degrees, and to promote the development of the Ukrainian university education. The efforts of the Ukrainian authorities were supported by Prosvita Society that was active at Ukrainian territories for several decades particularly after the Revolution of 1905. Each of three Ukrainian governments was quite successful in education reform encorporation. Their efforts in this field were aligned; they logically continued their reformation activity in the direction established by a predecessor. Public universities, libraries (specifically created for this purpose) and some public figures also contributed to the Ukrainianization of education and its adaptation to the needs of the Ukrainian people. The following outstanding public figures played significant role in reforming the education at that time: Borys Grinchenko, Sophia Rusova, Spyrydon Chornosenko, Hryhorii Sherstiuk and many others. The obvious challenges of that period, standing in the way of education reform in Ukraine, were the political turbulence and the weak Ukrainian government that at the beginning had very few local representatives and within time failed to extend its influence over all the territory of Ukraine. Historical inertia also worked against the reform, as many of the pedagogues and parents remained loyal to the old education system. Poverty also played its role preventing proper allocation of resources for the purpose of the reform.