User:Ticielli/draft Museum of Public Education (Azerbaijan)

Azerbaijan Republic People's Education Museum

Established	1932
Location	Azerbaijan, Baku
Type	Education

Museum of Public Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan is located at 49 Xətai Avenue in Baku, Azerbaijan.

History

Based on the decision numbered 651 and dated April 27, 1932, the museum was established in 1930 on the basis of the educational exhibition and the Pedagogical Museum. The main purpose of the Museum of Public Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, under the Ministry of Education, is to reflect the development of educational ideas, science, and education in Azerbaijan, to conduct scientific research in this field, and to promote the activities of the personalities and achievements in education throughout the education system.

The museum's exhibition showcases efforts of educators, teachers, pedagogical scholars, the struggle for education in the mother tongue, the establishment of various types of educational institutions, development of women's education, reforms and state attention to education, as well as documents and materials reflecting the rare teaching resources and equipment, textbooks and programs from different years, activities and practical experiences of progressive educational institutions, including extracurricular institutions, the technical and teaching aids used in educational institutions, handicrafts and practical works of teachers, students, and pupils, albums, models, gifts, and so on. The museum aimed at studying and promoting the history of education.

The museum was located in the personal residence of the philanthropist and millionaire Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, which was confiscated by the communists.

Exhibition

The museum's exhibition, built on scientific and historical foundations and following a chronological sequence, is located in six halls.

• In the first hall of the museum, documents and materials reflecting the history of educational ideas and education in Azerbaijan from ancient times are displayed. It includes the sacred book of Islam, the Qurani-Kerim, which has been used as a textbook in elementary schools and madrasas in Azerbaijan from the 18th century until the 20th century. Additionally, various complex containers from different periods, the container for preserving the Qurani-Kerim, copies of the Qurani-Kerim, and a pen that remained from M.T. Sidqi's school established in Nakhchivan in 1894 are exhibited.
• The second hall represents education at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
• The third hall focuses on education during the years 1918–1940.
• The fourth hall showcases the development of higher and secondary specialized education.
• The fifth hall encompasses the period of 1941–1945 and 1946–1980, highlighting the establishment and development of children's homes, boarding schools, general education, and technical vocational schools.
• The museum's sixth hall (main hall) is dedicated to the development of education in Azerbaijan during the years of independence and consists of three sections.
• The attention and care provided by the Azerbaijani state and government to education are the main focus of the exhibition in the VI hall. The materials displayed in the hall reflect the activities of Heydar Aliyev, the national leader of our people, in the development of education in Azerbaijan, as well as the extensive activities of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in the field of education and the dedication shown by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to education. In the second section of the hall, documents and materials reflecting the activities of the Azerbaijani education system as a whole during the years of independence, statistical information, publication samples, new textbooks, models, and other exhibits are displayed. Special space is allocated for documents, materials, and gifts reflecting the activities of the Ministry of Education in this section. Additionally, materials related to the conferences of pedagogical staff and the 11-13 congresses of Azerbaijani teachers are also exhibited here. In the third section of the hall, the documents and materials displayed are dedicated to out-of-school institutions, the moral and aesthetic upbringing of children, adolescents, and youth. Showcases contain applied art examples prepared by children, adolescents, and youth, as well as various handicrafts. The effective utilization of the museum's collection materials in the promotion of Azerbaijani education, conducting scientific research and studies, organizing mobile and stationary exhibitions on various subjects, holding ceremonial events, scientific conferences, and seminars play a significant role.

In order to familiarize themselves with the museum's exhibition, scientific and cultural representatives from the United States, Germany, Poland, India, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, and other foreign countries, as well as the Secretary-General of ISESCO, foreign ambassadors in Azerbaijan, the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania, representatives of the Council of Europe, and other foreign guests have visited. Distinguished scientists and cultural figures of our republic, students from general education and technical vocational schools, and students and teachers from higher education institutions regularly come to the museum for excursions. The guests who visit the museum with the purpose of getting acquainted with the exhibition have expressed their impressions in the guestbook, emphasizing the exceptional importance of the Education Museum in promoting the history of Azerbaijani education.

Museum Activities

Over the years of its operation, thanks to the efforts of the museum staff, a rich collection of materials related to the development of public education has been gathered and organized in the museum's collection. Information about each collected document, material, and exhibit is recorded in the museum's special registration book, and they are preserved and stored under appropriate conditions using museum technology. The museum's extensive collection and library include thousands of documents, negatives, photographs, textbooks, and methodological literature, including rare bibliographic works. Researchers engaged in pedagogical thought and educational history, education and culture workers, representatives of mass media, cinema workers, and other specialists make use of the collection and library materials. The services of the Education Museum also contribute to the publication of numerous scientific works and the development of scholars in the field of pedagogy. From 1962 to 1997, the People's University conducted educational activities for parents under the program "Family and School" and for upper-grade students under the program "I Want to Know Everything," which was highly recognized and awarded with I and II degree diplomas in the former Soviet Union. Based on the experience of the museum, the National Education Museum was established in the city of Gabrovo, Bulgaria in 1986.