The educational policy of the Russian Empire in the Turkestan region in the mirror of Russian journalism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The object of the study is the process of formation of the educational system in the Central Asian territories of the Russian Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The subject of the study is a reflection of the process of formation of the educational system of Central Asia in Russian journalism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article highlights the attitude of Russian publications of the post-reform modernization era to the educational policy pursued by the imperial administration in the territories of Central Asia. The differences between conservative, liberal and democratic views on the goals and methods of the education system being created in the Muslim environment are noted. The article highlights the attitude of publicists to the ambiguous perception of the traditional local school by the Russian administration. Particular attention is paid to the criticism of inconsistency and fluctuations in government policy in the field of education. The constructive proposals of publicists aimed at ensuring the synthesis of some aspects of traditional and Russian educational institutions, contributing to the acculturation of the local population and the gradual integration of the region into the Empire, are revealed. The work used the historical and genetic method, which make possible to trace the development of the educational policy of Russia in the Central Asia on the pages of domestic publications; comparative, which allows to establish the general and special in its perception by publicists; the principle of historicism, revealing their attitude to the educational policy of the authorities in the historical context of the epoch of the early twentieth century. The problem of reflecting the educational policy of Russia in Central Asia in periodicals of that time has not been the subject of special analysis. Conservative authors advocated a policy of religious tolerance, the spread of the Russian school and the inclusion of the younger generation of the local population in its educational process. The main task of educational policy in the region for liberals for a long time has been to reduce the level of Muslim fanaticism, to introduce civilization through the development of education, to reform Russian-native schools, madrassas and mektebe, to provide cultural autonomy to the population of the region, the need for a synthesis of secular and national schools. Populist publications suggested using a public resource in the creation and development of a local school. Representatives of all directions agreed that only with the help of education and the dissemination of European values is it possible to overcome the cultural isolation of the region, national and religious extremism, undermining the foundations of its integration with Russia.

Russian wealth, Herald of Europe, Historical Bulletin, Russian thought, Orthodox Evagelist, Northern Herald, Russian Empire, Kaufman journal, Education policy, Central Asia