Prywatne szkoły średnie ogólnokształcące i zawodowe w województwie białostockim w II Rzeczypospolitej

Abstract

The principal purpose of the research was to provide a description and critical review of the organization and operation of the private schools of general secondary education and vocational education in Białystok Province in time of the II Republic of Poland. The literature of the subject presents the works dealing with the issue of education system in chosen regions of Poland. However as compared to the output of Polish historiography, the volume of researches on the history of the private schools of general secondary education and vocational education in Białystok Province appears to be very low. The work concerns the territory of Białystok Province. After Poland became an independent state it was possible to create its own national education system, including the private schools across Białystok Province. The starting point is the years following the attainment of independence by Poland, with the dividing line marking the outbreak of the Second World War. In the papers I applied the method of analysis and external-internal criticism of the archive sources as well as the comparative-historical and synthetic methods. The study is based on the vast direct sources, with the archive materials. The most information was obtained by an insight into the archives from the State Archive in Grodno, the State Archive in Brest and the State Archive in Vilnius. The domestic sources, which offered materials for examination, include the Archive of New Records, the Chief Archive of Ancient Records, the Archive of Mechanical Documentation, the Archive of the Central Board of Polish Teachers' Union, the Inspector Archive of Salesian Society, the State Archive in Białystok, the State Archive in Łomża and the Archive of Łomża Diocese. Except for the archive records, data from the printed sources were also analyzed. Of high factual value there appeared statistical materials. For the analysis of transformations, which were caused by the implementation of the then educational and social policies, legal regulations introduced in official publications such as the Official Gazette, Law Journal of the Polish State and the Journal of Laws became helpful. Additionally, the memoirs and memories were in corporated into the work. As the issue of education was publicized in newspaper articles, over twenty titles of magazines including daily press and teachers' or educational bulletins were reviewed. AIso the drafts of education system, and curriculums came to be useful for this topie. A large number of educational works and papers, printed before and after the Second World War, adds to the source. The work is monographie and it encloses the elements of study of pedagogy and history. The pedagogical analysis of the private schools was carried out in accordance with the pragmatic principles of methodology of history in scope of source analysis, methods of fact establishment and historical description. The findings from the analysis of literature of the subject and source materials are shown in the chronological and topical order. The work is divided into eight basic chapters and each of them is also separated into sections of specific issues. The conclusion section introduces the synthetie summary of the whole dissertation. The bibliography, lists of tables, graphs, photographs, maps and the appendix complete the work. The first chapter describes the traditions of private education. The impact of russification on the education system in the Congress Kingdom and clandestine teaching are presented. The development of Polish private schooling after the Revolution of 1905 as well as the conditions of the private schooling in Białystok Region in time just before the independent Poland are characterized. The second chapter Białystok Province in the II Republic of Poland characterizes the territorial area and socio-economic conditions of the region in question. The third chapter entitled the legal grounds of the private education looks like a proof of implementation of educational policy. It discusses both the drafts of and legal provisions on the private schooling. The organization and network of the private schools in Białystok Province, of general secondary education and vocational education are discussed in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter features the financial status and facilities of the private schools. The sources of financing are displayed, all owners are named, equipment is listed and financial or day-to-day life problems faced by the schools are described. The teachers of the private schools in Białystok Province are presented in the sixth chapter, with the characteristics of the employees of the school, their qualifications, working time, work location and their remuneration. The seventh chapter discusses the pupils of the private school. The eighth chapter details the curriculums and language of instruction used in the secondary school of general education and vocational school and the criteria of admission to the school, promotion to the classes of next form and testing system. It also gives the description of what attempts the education authorities made to put educational issues in the practice of school reality. The conclusion of the work contains a synthetic summery of the views presented in the whole dissertation. The bibliography, lists of tables, charts, photographs, maps, and the appendix complete the work. The private school has always played a key role in the system of education. At the present the non-state education continue to find its way in the Poland's education system more and more markedly. Seeking inspiration for the current education and making its modernization, one should be aware that the sources of those may be found in the achievements of the II Republic of Poland. The private schooling went along a long path of development and transformation in the 20-year interwar period. Despite a great number of difficulties, disputes over its shape and role, it took an important role in the education system of Białystok Province. The private schools supplemented significantly the network of public schools and contributed to the modernization of teaching and education work. The experiences determined by social needs compelled to seek after solutions appropriate to a given Polish reality. The development of the private schooling was a significant element of social life and culture of our country.