School Education in the Bulgarian Colonies of Bessarabia in the Second Half of the 19 Century: the Legal and Regulatory Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52603/rec.2026.39.20Keywords:
Bulgarian colonies, Bessarabia, education, legal and regulatory framework, eparchial supervisionAbstract
The article focuses on an in-depth analysis of the legal and regulatory framework that underpinned the reform of the educational system in the Bulgarian colonies of Southern Bessarabia in the second half of the nineteenth century. Particular attention is paid to the process of transferring educational institutions from the authority of the Ministry of State Domains to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Education, a shift that marked a turning point in the development of education within the Bulgarian diaspora. The main legal instruments were the Regulations on Primary Public Schools of 1864 and 1874, which introduced new standards in terms of administration, financing, and the content of the educational process. In the article also are examine in detail the mechanisms of control exercised over schools, including the introduction of an inspection system and the strengthening of supervision by eparchial authorities. The author emphasizes that educational reforms in the Bulgarian colonies reflected the general imperial strategy of Russification. At the same time, the educational regulations created, to a certain extent, a favorable legal framework for the introduction of the Bulgarian language as a subject of study in certain educational institutions, such as the Central School in Comrat.
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