Sunday schools in development of native primary education in the second half of XIX century

The article explains the development of Sunday schools and their influence on the formation of national elementary education in the second half of the 19th century, based on the analysis of historical sources and scientific researches. It is noted that decentralization, which accompanies the development of education in Ukraine, actualizes the problems of formation of the educational branch in separate administrative-territorial units, since the results of such explorations provide the definition of an objective basis for the construction of the education system in modern territorial communities. The peculiarities of the development of education in the 19th century (the spread of the teaching of faith and morality, the intensification of activities to improve the content of primary education, methodical work of teachers, the development of public schools) are revealed. Sunday schools are justified as private-public institutions, which were born and developed in the days of a kind of “will” and contributed to the spread of a new public-educational ideology, which envisaged teaching in the mother tongue and developing the character of knowledge, expanding educational programs. It is noted that the founders of Ukrainian Sunday school of the second half of the 19th - early 20th century. Were private individuals, government organizations, city council, communities, county council, various societies (Kharkiv Literacy Society, Kyiv, St.Petersburg and Moscow Literacy Society, “Prosvita”, the local branch of the charitable societies), the Commissions of national readings, etc. The principles of Sunday school activity are systematized: the principle of humanism (creation of conditions for formation of the best qualities and abilities of students, humanization of relations between teacher and pupils, based on respect, trust, understanding of requests, interests, dignity of personality; democracy (absence of strict regulation of the internal organization of the Sunday school, independent creation of educational programs, collective resolution of all problems at meetings of general school and pedagogical councils with involvement students into the discussion, elimination of authoritarian style of education, perception of the personality of a pupil as the highest social value); nature compliance, individualization and differentiation (taking into account age, individual and other characteristics of students by dividing students into groups according to age, level of education and training, the use of individual and group forms of training activity).