Development of secondary education in Bessarabia in 1833-1871

In this article we will analyze the development of the secondary education system in Bessarabia since 1833, when the first secular secondary public school was opened, until 1871, when the Russian Empire carried out a series of reforms, which affected the education system. Secondary education in Bessarabia was introduced during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I (1826-1856). The Tsar's education policy was characterized by a number of limitations. The government intended to transform the education system into a tool to maintain and strengthen the regime. To achieve this, the tsarist government undertook some reorganization of the education system. This reorganization was aimed at the organization of schools on the basis of caste principle, raising children in a religious spirit, control over schools by the police and turning them into a means of Russification of non-Russian peoples. Under the new school statute from December 8, 1828 the continuity between parochial and county schools was eliminated, resulting in a two systems of education: primary education system, which included the county and parochial schools, and the system of secondary and higher education, which included gymnasiums and universities.