STUDENTS OF INDEPENDENCE

During the short period of time that history assigned to the Azer-baijan People's Demo-cratic Republic, the first democratic republic in the East managed to do a great job in the realm of building a secular state. It is hard to mention all of the achievements attained over 23 months, therefore let us concentrate on one significant event - the sending of entrants and students abroad to study at public expense.

Investing in education

On 28 October 1918, the government considered the issue "On the conditions of permitting Muslim students to go abroad and the procedure of their conscription into the armed forces" and allowed travelling to foreign countries to those "... who can present evidence of the possibility to go abroad and be matriculated at higher education institutions. Upon the presentation of such evidence, the issuance of the permission to travel is left in each case to the discretion of the minister of education who acts in consultation with the minister of the interior. The ministers are also to decide on the provision of scholarships to needy students on an individual basis".

Meanwhile, a truly historic decision was taken by the parliament on 1 September 1919. For many years, this date has been perceived by Azerbaijanis as the day of the establishment of Baku State University. However, on this day members of parliament also debated and adopted a resolution on another important issue: the sending of 100 young Azerbaijanis to leading - mainly Western - universities to receive government-sponsored education.

The issue was reported by Ahmad bay Pepinov. The proposal was seconded by R.Vakilov, A.Afandizada, R.Agabayov and other MPs. The initiative of parliamentarians was supported by Minister of Education Rasid xan Qaplanov. The Ahrar faction came forward with the initiative to establish control over everyday life of young people sent abroad and to oblige some of them to enter the departments of mathematics, literature and natural sciences. MPs approved the first proposal and rejected the second. They also voted in favour of the following motion (made by Arsak Malxazyan): "After the completion of study, students-recipients of state scholarships are required to serve in places specified by the government for four years". The government was instructed to allocate 7m roubles for travel expenses and educational scholarships. Each student going to Europe was given 1,000 French francs before the trip and was entitled to a monthly scholarship of 400 francs. Those heading for Russia could count on 3,000 roubles to cover travel expenses and on the same amount in the form of a monthly scholarship.

It should be noted that prior to the beginning of 1919, there were no higher education institutions in the ADR. Generally speaking, it is not surprising, given the attitude of Tsarist Russia to education and ethnic populations living on its periphery. Let us recall that Russia only had ten universities at the time, whereas France could boast 14, Great Britain 18 and Germany 22 universities. It is appropriate to remind you all of the university cities in Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Yuryev (Tartu), Kharkov, Kazan, Warsaw, Odessa, Tomsk, and Saratov.

The ADR's government inherited from Tsarist Russia 23 secondary educational institutions including single-sex high schools (gymnasiums) for boys and girls, non-classical secondary schools, normal schools as well as polytechnic and business schools, which were later subordinated to the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the Republic. Enrolled in all of the secondary education institutions (with the exception of normal schools) in the first half of the 1919/1920 academic year were 9,611 students, about a third of which were Azerbaijanis. It should be noted that the number of Azeri students increased significantly after the country acquired independence in May 1918. Azerbaijanis constituted but a small part of those studying in Tsarist Russia. Thus, in 1912, the Baku Secondary Technical School of Mechanical Engineering and Construction, the honorary trustee of which was Haci Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, enrolled 378 students including 223 Russians, 54 Armenians, 35 Georgians, 27 Jews, and 15 Azerbaijanis.

Students abroad

According to the rules that existed in Russia at the time, one had to complete a full eight-year course of study in a high school in order to be admitted to a university and a seven-year course in a secondary school to be admitted to a technical college.

Returning to the issue of sending Azerbaijani students abroad, applicants were selected by the Ministry of Education, which set up a commission consisting of Mahammad Amin Rasulzada (Chairman), Ahmad bay Pepinov, Mehdi bay Hacinski, Abdulla bay Afandizada, and Qara bay Qarabayli. The list of students sent to study in Europe, which was signed by Minister of Education Hamid bay Sahtaxtinski in January 1920, contained 81 names: 11 people were to go to the UK, 23 to Italy, and 47 to France. It was noted that three persons would study at their own expense (one in Great Britain and two in France). Another nine persons were sent to study in Turkey, while 13 people were supposed to go to Russia. On the whole, all of the selected entrants and students went abroad. A brief report on MoE activity said that due to "internal disturbances" taking place in Russia it was not possible to send students to that country. However, this information needs to be clarified. For example, the Azerbaijani government provided 21,000 roubles to Teymur bay Vakilov, a third-year student of the law department at the St. Petersburg Psychoneurology Institute, to continue his studies in Russia. Let us keep in mind that a lot of Azerbaijanis were students of Russian universities at the beginning of 1917.

However, not everyone wanted to return there after October 1917. Thus, Sadiqov Mir Sadiq left his studies at the Tomsk Institute of Technology after the first year and was included in the group of students going to Europe. The list of those travelling to Europe also contained the names of Cafar Kazimov, Ismail Axundov, Cavad Alimuradov and Mammad Seidaliyev, who were students of the medical department at newly opened Baku State University.

As can be seen, Germany was missing from the list of countries to which Azerbaijanis were sent to continue their education. However, a further study of archival material has shown that more than 40 people who were supposed to go to the UK, Italy and France, eventually ended up in German universities. As many as seven Azerbaijani students were matriculated at the Freiberg Mining Academy alone; of 52 people that arrived in Paris, 28 went to Germany; and of 23 people sent to Italy, only six remained in the country while 17 went to Germany.

But to get into Germany was not so easy. On 9 March, almost two months after their departure from Azerbaijan, representatives of a group of students heading for Germany told the minister of education that they were still in Rome waiting for visas. Due to the absence of an Azerbaijani diplomatic mission in Italy, assistance to Azerbaijani students was provided by the Georgian mission. By the way, Azeri students received their scholarships through the Georgian mission, too.

Financial difficulties

On 16 January 1920, Minister of Education H.Sahtaxtinski sent Ali Mardan bay Topcubasov, the chairman of the Azerbaijani delegation to the Paris Peace Conference, a list of 78 entrants and students dispatched to European countries to continue their education at the expense of the state, and asked him "... to be so kind as to take care of these persons in a sense of appointing them to appropriate educational institutions and generally providing for the arrangement of tolerable living conditions for the compatriots mentioned". Concurrently, the minister requested that he be informed about the time of actual enrolment of persons sent for studying and that the ministry be notified "about their way of life abroad".

It should be noted that the students sent to study abroad experienced great financial difficulties. As mentioned above, the monthly allowance was 400 French francs. But this amount, according to the students, was very small. Moreover, there were delays in the payment of scholarships. On 28 March 1920, the diplomatic mission in Paris reported to the Ministry of Education that the funds intended for students had not been received, and therefore the mission had provided the money from its own resources.

Students studying in all the countries - France, Germany, Italy and Turkey - complained about the small size of scholarships. "The cost of lodgings is up from 250 marks, a lunch and dinner in a cheap restaurant is 32 marks a day, and a tuition fee is 1,500 marks per semester," students wrote from Germany. The situation worsened after the change of power in Azerbaijan. Uncertainty reigned among the students. The diplomatic mission in Paris issued the students a certain amount of money and said that the Musavat government was not going to provide them with funds in the future, and everyone was free to determine their own fate. Azeri students elected a delegation tasked to go to Azerbaijan and find out what they should do - return home or continue their studies.

There was a list of Azerbaijani students studying at European universities at the expense of the state, which was compiled by student Abdin Mir Qasimov. Dating back to August 1920, and now available in the archives, the list contained 83 names and served as the basis for the People's Commissar for Education of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic to inform the government about the situation with the students. It is evident from the document that 46 people were studying in Germany, 30 in France, 4 in Turkey and 3 in Italy.

On 9 August 1920, the Azerbaijan Revolutionary Committee (Azrevkom), chaired by Nariman Narimanov, held a meeting which addressed a "request for the provision of funds and material support in general that was made by a representative of the students sent by the former Azerbaijani government abroad to complete their education". Azrevkom decided to "essentially recognize the assistance to students as necessary and instruct the People's Commissariat for Education together with the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs to find funds as well as ways to transfer these funds".

The Italian Embassy in Azerbaijan informed the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs on its willingness to take Azeri students under its protection and forward to them money assigned by the Azerbaijani government. However, the issue of funding the education of students still could not be solved. On 12 December 1920, the People's Commissariat for Finance informed the People's Commissariat for Education that the issue of finding money for the education of students was very involved, there were no currency reserves, and it was difficult to establish the amount and type of the currency required. For this reason, no money was transferred to the students. On 20 December 1920, the People's Commissariat for Education wrote to the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs: "The issue of providing financial assistance to students sent abroad last year was discussed in August of this year, and back then Azrevkom essentially recognized this assistance as necessary and instructed your agency to find funds as well as ways to transfer such funds to those entitled to them. You are kindly requested to immediately notify me whether the funds have been sent".

Different fate befell Azerbaijani students after the Bolsheviks came to power in Azerbaijan. The "filtering" of students studying in Europe was carried out already by the Soviet government - some of them were provided with financial assistance to continue their studies, while others were denied such support. Quite a number of students refused to return home after graduation. There were also those who returned to Azerbaijan and, having lived here for some time, went abroad again. However, the fate of those who decided to live and work at home was especially tragic. Many of them were charged with treason and espionage and subjected to reprisals. But this is the subject of another study.