THE ISSUE OF GIRLS’ EDUCATION IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE DOCUMENTS AND STATISTICAL SOURCES OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN TURKESTAN

Abstract

The issue of education in Turkestan during the Russian imperial period remains one of the central topics in the historiography of colonial Central Asia. In particular, the education of Muslim girls occupied a specific place within the imperial administrative discourse and statistical documentation. This article analyzes archival-administrative materials, statistical data, reports of military governors, educational inspectors, and imperial officials concerning girls’ education in Turkestan under Russian colonial rule. The study demonstrates that the educational reforms introduced by the Russian Empire were not primarily intended to increase literacy among the indigenous population, but rather aimed at creating ideologically loyal subjects and “faithful mothers” raised within the framework of imperial values. Statistical evidence from Tashkent, Fergana, Samarkand, and other regions reveals both the persistence of traditional Muslim educational institutions and the limited penetration of Russian-native schools. The article further examines the contradictions of colonial educational policy, dual administrative control, financial deficiencies, and the gradual deterioration of the indigenous educational system under imperial governance.