Real school

The prototypes of real schools or colleges were practical educational institutions that arose in Europe in the Middle Ages .

One of the first founders of real schools is considered to be the pastor from Halle - Christoph Zemler , who organized the Mathematische und Mechanische Realschule in 1707 , introducing in 1738 a course on farm information, called it “Mathematical, mechanical and economic real school. " In 1747, in Berlin, the German theologian Johann Haecker opened the "Economic and Mathematical Real School"; since 1753 this school became known as royal. Its director Shpilleke transformed it in 1822 into a "general educational institution pursuing practical goals"; His program included the Law of God, natural sciences, mathematics, languages: German, French and English, history, geography and drawing. A feature of this class of educational institutions was the lack of teaching of ancient languages ​​and ancient history. In 1859, a charter was adopted that distinguished three types of schools: real schools of I grade (with a 9-year course and Latin), real schools of II grade (with an 8-year course, without Latin) and higher urban schools (the same schools of the II category, but with a 6-year course). Until 1859, there were 56 real schools in Germany, and after 14 years, their number rapidly increased to 179.

In Austria, the charter of 1850 defined the task of real schools as "the average degree of preliminary education needed for industrial studies, as well as preparation for technical institutions."

Maykop real school where E. Schwartz studied (now Gymnasium No. 5)

In Russia, the initiative to establish real schools came from private individuals and arose by the early 1830s. Initially, the goal of such schools was only the dissemination of "technical knowledge directly useful for industrial activity," but then it was expanded towards general educational knowledge. In 1839, the task of organizing real classes for "temporary teaching of technical sciences" was already set at the government level. Later, the goal of their establishment was the intention "to distract the children of the lower classes from the gymnasium course." The subjects of teaching were practical chemistry, practical mechanics, drawing and drawing. They were allowed to hear, free of charge, not only students, but also “other persons of industrial rank”. In 1839, at the third Moscow gymnasium , a real department was opened, consisting of 6 classes; it was intended mainly for the children of merchants and philistines. Graduates of the first and second guild merchants who graduated from it took advantage of commercial schools and the Moscow Practical Academy , while the children of the third guild merchants and burghers were exempted from corporal punishment and recruitment . For the period 1841-1866, there were only 593 students in this department, while in the classical one at the same time - 2997. Due to the small number of students, real classes gradually closed.

In 1840, a real gymnasium was founded in Warsaw , which differed from the real branch of the 3rd Moscow gymnasium mainly in that it had a 7th, additional class. At the same time, the bypass (or 4-grade district) schools of the Kingdom of Poland were divided into preparatory (4-class gymnasiums themselves) and real schools, “having a technical, commercial or agronomic direction”, depending on local needs. After 9 years, there were 7 such real schools.

The charter of November 19, 1864 "On Real Gymnasiums and Gymnasiums" determined the creation of seven-class real gymnasiums , the goal of which was, along with classical gymnasiums, "general education and preparation for entry into higher specialized educational institutions." They were accessible to children of all states and faiths and had a program very similar to classical gymnasiums and exactly the same administration. But evidence of completion of the course of real gymnasiums upon admission to higher specialized institutions was only "taken into consideration."

In 1871, real gymnasiums were renamed real schools, and the next year, the new charter, approved on May 15, 1872, declared their goal “general education adapted to practical needs and to acquire technical knowledge”, bearing in mind mainly the needs of trade and industry . The course lasted six to seven years. In high school, applied disciplines were taught (mechanics, chemistry, as well as technological and commercial subjects). Graduates of such schools could enter technical, industrial, and commercial higher educational institutions , but not universities . Already in the 1872/73 academic year, in 7 real gymnasiums, the lower five classes were transformed according to the curriculum of real schools. From 1873 to 1877 55 real schools were established and opened, and by January 1, 1878 their number was 67 ^[1] .

In 1888, real schools were reformed into general education institutions, the graduates of which could already go to university at the physical, mathematical and medical faculties.

By 1914, there were 284 real schools in the Russian Empire, in which 80,800 people studied ^[2] .

After the October Revolution of 1917, this type of educational institution in Russia was abolished. Instead of them, in Soviet Russia , schools of factory apprenticeships similar to the tasks (a prototype of the GPTU system of the 1960s) and, since 1923, technical schools (as full-fledged secondary specialized technical educational institutions, secondary schools ) arose .

Currently, substantially transformed real schools exist in the education systems of a number of states - as institutions for the training of highly skilled workers.

• Real schools // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Realschule at The New International Encyclopædia