The First Arithmetic Schools in the Urals (1721–1725)

Abstract

This article describes the circumstances behind the opening of the first arithmetic schools in the Urals. Together with grammar schools, they formed a new type of educational institutions of Russia, belonging to the mining department and becoming the largest secular educational institutions of Russia with a democratic structure of students in the 1730s. Thanks to these schools, it was possible to arrange factory apprenticeships for specialists in various fields, and qualified personnel were trained for the developing Ural industry. The author describes the first actions of the authorities taken to organise arithmetic schools at the Uktus Plant and in Kungur, which celebrated their 300th anniversaries in 2021, as well as the role of Vasily Tatishchev, the chief of the factories, and the Collegium of Mining (Berg-kollegia) in that. It is demonstrated that in 1720–1721, being interested in staff training for factories made up by local youth, the Collegium of Mining made it possible for schools to accept children of scribes and clergymen residing in the territories but not subordinated to the mining authorities; moreover, such schools also made it possible for peasants assigned to plants to join, which was a unique example in the history of Russia at the time. The article traces Vasily Tatishchev’s actions in enrolling children to schools, replenishing them with pupils and assigning them government salaries. Additionally, the author establishes the number of children taught in such schools, the places of their distribution to the cases, and reveals the difficult financial conditions of educating children away from their homes. Particular attention is paid to the teaching staff comprising Moscow Artillery School graduates, who performed their main factory duties in addition to their training, except for one, who worked only with children at the Uktus school. Finally, the article describes the destiny of the Kungur arithmetic school, i.e. the transfer of its students in 1725 to Ekaterinburg by order of the Collegium of Mining.