As the oldest among similar publications in the entire post-Soviet space, the unique republican scientific and methodological magazine “Russian language and literature in schools of Kyrgyzstan” is about to close. And there are a number of reasons for this. How does this publication exist today, what problems does it face, editor-in-chief Gulzhigit Sooronkulov told in a conversation with RG.
Teach teachers to teach
The magazine, which turns 67 this year, is the brainchild of Lev Sheiman, then a candidate in philological sciences and head of the Russian language department at the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Research Institute (now the Kyrgyz Academy of Education). The magazine, originally titled “Russian in Kyrgyz Schools,” turned out to be his life's work. Having become a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, professor, scholar and famous Pushkin scholar, Sheiman led continuous publication for 46 years.
By the way, last year was the 100th anniversary of the magazine's founder's birth, and this year marks the 20th anniversary of his death. And if Lev Sheiman lived today, he would certainly be heartbroken by the current situation. After all, the tasks he set for the editorial board and authors were of great importance for the entire educational system of the republic.
From the first issue of the magazine, its pages began to cover the experience of advanced teachers of Russian language studies in Kyrgyzstan and other Soviet republics, articles of a methodological nature were published, discussions were held on current issues and specifics of teaching Russian to Kyrgyz students, on curriculum development and requirements for Russian textbooks and literature studies for schools in Kyrgyzstan as well as on the compilation of such textbooks. Like-minded people united around the magazine. Mainly teachers and methodologists who are not indifferent to the issues of teaching Russian language and literature in the schools of the republic and the quality of education in general. And largely thanks to Sheiman and his journal, Kyrgyzstan developed its own domestic methodological school.
In 1979, the magazine turned to another important field – Russian literature. The authors of the publication considered the problems of teaching the Kyrgyz language in schools, how to introduce students to humanistic values and the problems of its connection with Kyrgyz poetry and prose. And Lev Sheiman, as methodologist, teacher and literary critic, shaped the international and intercultural orientation of the journal.
Nine squares in history
For 67 years, the editorial office of the magazine, now called “Russian Language and Literature in the Schools of the Kyrgyz Republic”, was located at the Kyrgyz Academy of Education (KAO). But since last year, this seemingly permanent registration has been questioned. The academy's leadership has its own plans and tasks, including the space occupied by the editorial office. From a comfortable office, the publishing house moved to a library warehouse – literally nine square meters, where, among other things, there is now Lev Sheiman's archive, including notebooks, correspondence with Slavists from almost all over the world – unique research materials.
Of course, this is not the entire legacy of the professor. After his death, colleagues donated 14 thousand books to the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic named after Alykul Osmonov! But even so, the remaining works and the teacher library still need more space than a modest storage corner. Systematizing Sheiman's archive took several months of work by a team of editors.
Of course, the situation is paradoxical. After all, the founder of this publication is the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan, which also controls KAO. But it seems that bureaucratic obstacles do not allow the editorial office to leave its original position. But it was there that letters from Slavic scholars and Pushkin scholars from around the world kept pouring in.
Blind spot
From the highest stands, speeches were heard about the need to maintain the presence of the Russian language in the republic. In a July interview with the national agency Kabar, President Sadyr Japarov literally said the following: “In essence, the Russian language does not need us, we need it.”
“First, this is one of the six world languages,” the head of the republic emphasized. “Secondly, we must not forget that without Russian, we in Kyrgyzstan will not be able to go far. For example, I will not even mention the CIS countries, but only neighboring countries. If you go to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan, you will not be able to communicate there without Russian. In Europe, America, China use the services of Russian translators. Of course, first of all we have to develop our language. But We are also required to know Russian and English. Half of humanity uses them.”
At the same time, the republic is experiencing a serious shortage of teachers, including in Russian language and literature. But at the same time, the magazine that improves the skills of Russian language teachers is completely abandoned without due attention from both the educational system and NGOs promoting the Russian language in Kyrgyzstan. However, Gulzhigit Sooronkulov admits, even this does not prevent the editorial board, currently consisting of three people, from continuing to publish the magazine.
But here another problem arises. There are no authors writing materials for publication, sharing their experiences and best practices.
“Now we survive mainly thanks to the ingredients we find and prepare ourselves,” the editor admitted in a conversation with an RG reporter. – Teachers, specifically our authors, have almost stopped sending us materials. The exceptions are some teachers from the Issyk-Kul and Bishkek regions, that's all. And there is something to say – work is going on, specialized events are being organised. Methodists also have something to share. It is because of the lack of voices “from the field” that the magazine becomes more scientific than scientific and methodological. But we are still included in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI), our publications are also taken into account by the High Authentication Committee of Kyrgyzstan, that is, it promises to publish the publications of graduate students and postgraduate students.
The situation with the republic's educational institutions is not entirely clear. The country has more than 2,300 schools, about 100 vocational technical schools teaching Russian language and literature. But of these, no more than 200 organizations subscribe to the magazine.
Gulzhigit Sooronkulov assured: “We will not allow the magazine to close. – But I really want teachers to understand the importance of our cooperation, participate in competitions, discuss and share their experiences, which will help improve the quality of teaching Russian language and literature in the republic.
Simultaneously
The editor of the magazine is negotiating with one of the largest public universities in the republic. Perhaps the publication will soon have another founder and an excellent basis for methodological developments.