...Адамдық диқаншысы қырға шықтым,
Көлі жоқ, көгалы жоқ қырға шықтым,
Тұқымын адамдықтын шашым, ектім,
Көңілін көтеруге бұл халықтың...
…I am a farmer of
humanity, went up to the hill,
Empty,
with no lake,
and even
no green,
Distributed
humanity over that field,
To
enlighten and cater these people…
(Baitursynov,
1911).
I
am proud to live in the nation, which has a great deal of campaigners for augmenting
the education. One of them is Akhmet Baitursynuly (1872-1937). We know him as the great educator, who
elaborated the Kazakh alphabet, and the great writer, who translated the
Krylov’s fables. Did you know that on top of that, he was the first and the
greatest Kazakh blogger? Akhmet
Baitursynuly, despite living long before the internet invention, was the first
person to fight for the development of education in the Kazakh land through the
articles in the newspapers and magazines. He found the best way, considering
the pressure and danger from the Russian Empire, to get his point across to the
people. His articles covered the main issues in the country like independence,
the development of education and the Kazakh language. For example, his first
articles “Қазақ хәм түрлі мәселелер (Kazakh people and different issues)” and “Бастауыш мектеп
(Primary school)” were published in 1911 in “Aikyn” magazine. In 1912 he published other articles like “Білім жарысы (The competitiveness of
education)” and “Оқу жайы (Concerning education)” in the “Kazakh” newspaper. (Aliyeva & Zhauymbayev, n.d.)
Publishing
more than thirty articles in Kazakh and Russian languages, he encouraged the
people to read newspapers. Founding the “Kazakh” newspaper, he unraveled the
value of newspapers and magazines with five factors. The main factor is that newspapers
are the eyes and ears of the nation. Consequently, the nation which does not
read the newspaper is deaf and dumb. Then, newspapers are the best tools to
educate and direct people in the right way. Lastly, he defined the newspaper as
the voice of the people (Aliyeva & Zhauymbayev, n.d.).
In
one of the precious articles regarding educational issues in Kazakhstan, the
great educator intimated the most important constituents of education at school:
firstly, schools should have strong and committed teachers; secondly, resources
should be constantly updated according to the needs of children; finally, the
quality of education directly depends on precise curriculum. (Central library system,
2015). Are these features similar to the ones we study at GSE?
There
is no doubt that education in Kazakhstan will not be this good without the
invaluable contribution of Akhmet Baitursynuly. All in all, he gave a chance to
the peasant class to get acquainted with the fables of Krylov as well as
learning the Kazakh alphabet. Bottom line, he enheartened the people to gain
knowledge emphasizing its importance through the articles. There is definitely
a lot to learn from the great educator’s way to reach the people.
References
Aliyeva, B., &
Zhamuymbayev, S. (n.d.). Akhmet Baitursynovtyn omiri men kogamdyk-saiyasi
kysmetteri [Akhmet Baitursynov’s life and social, political activities].
Retrieved from http://e-history.kz/kz/contents/view/2403
Baitursynuly, A. (1911).
Adamdyk Dikanshysy [The farmer of humanity]. Retrieved from http://www.zharar.com/kz/olen/1455-ahmet.html
Central library system of
Ust-Kamenogorsk. (2015). Pedagogika pani, onyn negizgi ugymdary [Pedagogy and
its main features]. Retrieved from http://kitaphana.kz/ru/downloads/referatu-na-kazakskom/236-pedagogika/3259-pedagogika-pani.html
Your post is well-thought out and makes good use of sources to support your main idea, but I find the font very difficult to read. I understand that you want to "dress up" your writing, but I would recommend to find a more neutral font and let your writing be the central focus. Be sure to proofread! (There is no doubt that education in Kazakhstan will not ____ this good without the invaluable contribution of Akhmet Baitursynuly.)
ReplyDeleteThat is true, Phil. I mean the font. However, no matter how hard it was difficult to read, the epigraph that sets the tone of the blog grasped my attention because of two reasons. Firstly, being fluent in Kazakh, I’m always interested in translation, of how the same message is interpreted into other language and what means are used in order to convey the original. Another reason is, like the author of the blog, I am very proud of great men of Kazakh nation, who were noble in not only literature, but playwriting, publicist writing and translation. Although Baitursynuly and his contemporaries became the victims of political repression, they had left immortal words for us. If Baitursynuly followed Abai, who “paved the way”, Mirjakip Dulatov followed him by “Open up your eyes, Kazakh”, which served as an anthem for the whole nation. He could see the power of knowledge and education as a tool to get rid of grim realism of that time. One interesting note is that their writing replete with archaic words especially of Arabic origin, hәm, tabib, nәfsi, hikmet, magarif etc.
ReplyDeleteDear Bilim,
ReplyDeleteThan you for your interesting information. I am glad you liked the post which main aim was to remind our group mates about the Great teacher, whose works are precious and valid even for the current educational circumstances. Sorry for the font, will be changed.