Collections of Presidential Library tell about century-old history of Uchitelskaya Gazeta

Exactly one hundred years ago, on October 3, 1924, the first issue of the Uchitelskaya Gazeta was published.

It it containe an article, written by Nadezhda Krupskaya, an organizer and chief ideologist of Soviet education who stood at the origin of this publication. In her article, she wrote that it was necessary for teachers to have their own newspaper where they could write about their concerns and struggles. Through the newspaper, teachers could communicate with the teaching community and feel less alone and lost in life. She also emphasized that it was easier to work together as a team than alone, and that working for the benefit of others was easier than working alone. Her words are preserved in the archives of the Presidential Library.

The main goal of the newspaper was to unite the teachers and create an "artel" among them. The first step was to eliminate illiteracy, and the newspaper encouraged everyone to participate in this effort, regularly publishing materials about its progress. However, the publication was not only interested in overcoming illiteracy. It also raised questions about the heavy workload of teachers, the lack of textbooks and teaching materials for students, the various biases of local educational authorities, and the difficult lives of rural teachers.

In the 1930s, when the Soviet Union was focusing on building its national economy, the country's main newspaper changed its name. From 1930 until 1936, it was known as Za Kommunistskoye Prosveshcheniye (In the name of Communist Enlightenment). In the autumn of 1930, during a parade on Red Square, a group of fighter planes from the Kultfront flew took part in the Parade. This was thanks to funds raised by teachers who responded to a call from the newspaper to support the effort to build planes for young Soviet pilots.

During the Great Patriotic War, newspapers played a crucial role as a liaison between the home front and the fighting lines. In January 1942, teachers from the 13th school in Kuibyshev city proposed the idea of building a tank column named "People's Teacher." The newspaper immediately supported this initiative.

On February 11th, 1942, The the Uchitelskaya Gazeta published an article calling on all schools and teachers to contribute to building the tank column. The article urged teachers and female educators to join the ranks of the Soviet tank forces, mercilessly attacking the enemy. It emphasized that every school and every teacher should contribute to this effort.

Within a few months, on July 22nd, 1942, the tank column was transferred to soldiers of the Red Army. Among the tank crew members were former teachers who had volunteered to serve in the armed forces.

On August 27, 1942, the Uchitelskaya Gazeta published a letter from the teachers of Fedyakino school from Ryazan region who took care of the children of front-line soldiers. From the next issue, the newspaper began to run a column on "the Fedyakino initiative". The newspaper urged: "We will not leave the children unattended. We will help the families of the veterans. Let us keep the orphans warm with our care!" Thousands of teachers changed their pointers to machine guns and their classrooms to trenches to fight at the front. Nearly every issue of the newspaper told about examples of courage and bravery shown by Soviet teachers.

After the victory in the Great Patriotic War, it became necessary to rebuild the destroyed national economy and raise the country. Uchitelskaya Gazeta played an active role in this process. Decades passed, and with each passing year, new challenges were set for the newspaper's editorial team. Over time, the name and format of the publication changed, as did its frequency of publication. However, the focus on education remained constant. Today, Uchitelskaya Gazeta covers all aspects of education - from preschool to university - and addresses issues that are important to teachers and the teaching community. It offers solutions and insights into these issues.

To trace how, along with the entire country, the publication has changed over a hundred years, however, it is possible to look at the digitized issues of the Uchitelskaya Gazeta, which are presented in the collection of the Presidential Library. Starting with the very first issue, published on October 3, 1924, the newspaper has evolved over time. Some issues are now freely available on the Presidential Library portal, thanks to an agreement on cooperation between the library and JSC Publishing House "Uchitelskaya Gazeta", signed in June 2023.