Schools of the Commission of National Education’s Lithuanian Department

Kamińska, Janina

doi:0080-4754

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Tytuł: Schools of the Commission of National Education’s Lithuanian Department

Abstrakt:

This article presents an outline of the activities of schools in the Lithuanian Department, which included schools in Grodno, Białystok, Merkinė, Lida, Vidzy, Vilnius, Vishnyeva, Pastavy, Shchuchyn and Vawkavysk. The leading role was played by the Grodno school, which became a department school, supervising all lower, subdepartment schools. All of the schools of the Lithuanian Department were supervised by the Lithuanian Main School in Vilnius. Working conditions at the schools were generally difficult as the buildings, mostly post-Jesuit, were considerably dilapidated due to neglect but also fires and floods, so they required provisional repairs or general refurbishments. Due to the need to provide an appropriate environment for learning, the rectors and prorectors demanded more funds from the Commission of National Education for renovation purposes. One of the primary tasks of the schools was to educate future citizens, enlightened, capable and responsible for the country. They sought to accomplish that objective by incorporating ideas of an explicitly national and patriotic nature in the syllabus. Great importance lay in the teaching of the Polish language, literature and speech. The formation of man and citizen was helped by history and geography as well as mathematical and natural sciences that demonstrated scientific achievements and drew attention to the functionality of science in everyday life.