120 years have passed since the First Congress of Azerbaijani Teachers. Having exerted a powerful influence on the national awakening and the new direction of the pedagogical movement in Azerbaijan, this congress was not merely a gathering of native language and sharia teachers; it stood as the pinnacle of the systematic ideological and cultural struggle waged by our people on the path of enlightenment against tsarist imperial policies and social backwardness. This historic mission undertaken by Azerbaijani teachers laid the foundation for the awakening of the national consciousness and the expression of the rightful voice of a people living under subjugation, the formation of national statehood ideas, and their struggle for sovereignty, future, and independence.
Sea-news.az reports that these lines are featured in an article presented to AZERTAC by Professor Farrukh Rustamov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences and Head of the Department of Primary Education Pedagogy at ADPU (Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University). The article continues as follows:
This enlightenment movement, stretching from Yerevan to the intellectual centers of Baku, reaffirmed once again that the path to the progress and salvation of the people runs through science, education, and the preservation of the native language. The seeds of ideas sown by the participants of the First Congress transformed into a massive public movement over time, written in golden letters into the chronicle of our people’s freedom.
On August 15, 1906, the First Congress of Muslim Teachers of the Caucasus began its work in the building of the 2nd city two-class Russo-Azerbaijani school located in the area of Baku known as “Shamaxinka.” Along with the 60 officially invited delegates, press workers and other guests also attended the hall. This Congress was a first in the history of Azerbaijani enlightenment. For the first time, Azerbaijani language and sharia teachers working in various schools across Yerevan, Nakhchivan, Derbent, Tbilisi, and Baku gathered in a single venue. The main purpose of the first congress of Azerbaijani language and sharia teachers, elected from various regions of the Caucasus, was to discuss strategic issues such as the conceptual foundations of national-spiritual development, the formation of a secular education network in the native language, the training of national pedagogical cadres, the modernization of educational content, as well as alphabet reform and national textbook creation. The agenda of the 13-day Congress was published in the Dabistan magazine (No. 8) under the title “Charter of the Caucasus Muslim Teachers’ Assembly.” An Organizing Committee with certain powers was established to organize the First Congress of Azerbaijani Teachers at a high level. The composition of the committee included prominent intellectuals, public figures, and teachers of the era, such as Nariman Narimanov (Chairman), Hasan bey Melikov (Member), Habib bey Mahmudbeyov (Member), Farhad Aghayev (Member), and Yusif Efendiyev (Secretary). Preparatory issues for the congress were discussed in more than 10 meetings of the organizing committee.
The Congress began with the blessing of Akhund Ruhulla Mammadhasan, a well-known religious figure of the era and an influential sharia teacher at the 1st Russo-Azerbaijani school. Afterward, Hasan bey Zardabi, Nariman Narimanov, and others delivered speeches. The preparatory committee for the congress (chaired by N. Narimanov) delivered an extensive report on the preparations, the purpose of the congress, the meetings of the Organizing Committee, and the adopted decisions. Holding two sessions a day over 13 days (from August 15 to 28), the sessions of the Congress were chaired by Hasan bey Zardabi.
Serious discussions were held and relevant decisions were adopted around the following issues at the First Congress of Azerbaijani Teachers:
- The difficult living conditions of teachers, low salaries, untimely payment of wages, unbearable housing conditions and the resulting spread of diseases such as tuberculosis, as well as the issues of school taxes and funds being diverted from their intended purposes (F. Aghayev);
- Factors aggravating spiritual needs, such as teachers’ lack of proficiency in their native language, ignorance of political events, shortage of necessary textbooks, the state of libraries, and pressures from the clergy (F.B. Kocharli);
- The teaching status of the Azerbaijani language in primary schools and seminaries, the insufficiency of weekly class hours, and the language not being a compulsory subject; consequently, the adoption of the native language curriculum (writing types, dictation, composition, regional studies materials, etc.) prepared by a commission including Abdulla Shaig, Suleyman Sani Akhundov, and Hasan bey Melikov;
- Eliminating the application in schools of the “silent method” approach, which prohibited explanations in the native language during Russian language instruction and created unsuitability and difficulties for national schools;
- Relocating the Azerbaijani (Tatar) department of the Gori Teachers’ Seminary from Gori to one of the Muslim cities of the South Caucasus (Shusha, Nukha, or another city) and converting it into an independent seminary;
- The allocation of funds and provision of financial assistance by benefactors and societies to enhance the theoretical and practical preparation of young teachers who graduated from the seminary;
- Organizing a teachers’ union in each province to secure the material and spiritual needs of teachers, defend their rights, increase political activity, and improve educational work;
- Sending students to study abroad, opening new secondary schools and evening classes for adults, as well as sending an Azerbaijani language teacher to the school in Dagestan (Temirkhan-Shura), etc.
The commission established at the First Congress of Azerbaijani Teachers raised the following 6-article issue before the Viceroyalty:
- To relocate the Tatar (Azerbaijani) department of the Gori Teachers’ Seminary to one of the Muslim centers;
- To convert this department into a teachers’ seminary;
- To teach the Azerbaijani language as a core subject in this seminary;
- To equate the rights of Muslim teachers with the rights of other teachers;
- To open a girls’ Russo-Tatar school in every city;
- To organize pedagogical courses for Muslim teachers.
It was not possible to implement any of these raised issues. However, the Congress did not go without effect; it taught teachers a great deal. For the first time, Azerbaijani teachers gathered in such a large audience to express their thoughts and ideas, realizing the grand and responsible tasks placed before them. The issues raised at the First Congress became the subject of discussion at the Second Congress convened in 1907, and very significant practical work was accomplished shortly thereafter.
