The 300th anniversary of the technical education in Russia

        “ For the first time the idea to establish Russian higher education institutions for teaching a variety of non-religious subjects appeared in the epoch of Peter the Great, as a result of the need to raise national technicians and teachers." .

          Engineering education in Russia started with organization in Moscow of School for Mathematical and Navigational Crafts. The date of the School foundation should be fixed by the Highest Decree of Emperor Peter the First of January 14th, 1701 (old style) or January 27th by the new style.

          The Decree stressed that "This School is designed not only for seafaring and engineering skills, but also for those of artillery and citizenship".

          In fact, the School started a few month earlier and was housed in Kadashevskaya Sloboda. From the very beginning one of the teachers was Andrei Danilovich (Henry) Farwhurson, a well-known matematician and astronomer, professor of the Aberdeen University (Scotland), whom Peter the First had met during his visit to England. Farwhurson stayed in Russia for the rest of his life and mastered the Russian language. In this language he wrote books on mathematics, geodesy, cartography, astronomy. He may be lawfully named as the first Russian professor of mathemetics.

           Five months later, in June of 1701, by suggestion of the Duma dyak (state official) Alexei Kurbatov who was actively involved with organization of the School and even headed it in its first years, the School was relocated into the building of the Sucharev Tower where classrooms and an observatory had been specially set up.

           Soon among the teachers, again by Kurbatov's suggestion, appeared Leonti Magnitzky, son of a peasant from Tver Gubernia, who had himself mastered reading and writing and later graduated from the Slavonic-Greek-and-Latin Academy. His surname "Magnitzky" was given him by Peter the First, in distinction of his aspiration for scholarship. In 1703 Magnitzky wrote the famous textbook on "Arithmetics" which covered arithmetic, application of arithmetic and algebra to geometry and trigonometric calculations and tables. The third part of the textbook contained information on sea astronomy, geodesy and navigation. The textbook was in wide use for over 50 years and all Russian sea officers of the epoch were studying with it. This textbook inspired Michael Lomonosov to study mathematics.

           Teaching sciences at the School had a foundation. It is known that mathematics, and later physics, were taught at the Slavonic-Greek-and-Latin Academy founded in 1687 in Zaikonnospassky Monastery, situated in Moscow on Nikolskaya street. The first institution of higher learning in Russia, Kiev Seminary, dates back to early XVII century.

           Writing his textbook, Magnitzky used both European sources and translations of "old Slavonic" manuscripts of the XVII century. It was a texbook of a new style and at the same time a link to the Russian physical and mathematical works of the XVII century. Magnitzky also helped Farwhurson translate foreign works into Russian.

          At the time of its foundation, the School was the first and the largest vocational institution in Europe. According to Peter's Decree, students were to be recruited on a voluntary basis but "some could well be compelled".

          Alexei Kurbatov, head of the School, noted in 1703: "Moscow schools grow in number by the will of His Majesty. More than 300 people study and are good at sciences in the Mathematical Sailing School".

          The entire student body of the School was planned to contain 500 people but at certain periods the number reached 700. Children of all social states were allowed to be enrolled, with the exception of serves. The study program went through 3 stages: primary school taught reading, writing and some grammar, secondary classes taught arithmetic, geometry and trigonomenry, and the higher (specialized) classes taught geography, astronomy, navigation and other subjects. The School thus comprised elements of both secondary and higher education.

          Navigators practiced their craft on sea ships. As a means of cultural cultivation, the School had its own theater where a group of actors invited from Danzig staged and performed plays with students.

          The School did not have a fixed term of study. Some students managed to finish the program in 4 years, while for some it took 13. There were no end- -of the-year exams and students moved from class to class according to their personal performance. The age of the students varied from 15 to 33. The students were stimulated by money allowances, each successful year in a in higher amount. The most affluent or talented were sent to internships abroad. Upon their arrival back home they were subjected to strict examination, sometimes by Peter the Great himself.

         As early as 1715 the School had trained about 1200 specialists. Its graduates put up ah honorable performance in the sea battle of Gangut (1714) where the Russian fleet won its first victory, and were part of the Bering expedition which discovered the straits separating Asia and America.. Among the graduates of the School are A. Chirikov who explored the north-western edge of North America, A. Nagaev, S. Malygin, D. Lartev, Admiral N. Senyavin, historian and public figure V. Tatishev, architect I. Michurin, the inventor of the wood processing machine with support A. Nartov and many others. Materials collected by the School graduates resulted in publishing of the first atlas of the Russian Empire in 1745.

          In 1715 a part of the higher- program students and faculty was transferred to Saint Petersburg to become a nucleus of the Maritime Academy founded by Peter the Great. Students of the higher classes took practical training in the fleet and were publicly known as the Sea Guards. Upon completion of the training program the students were awarded the rank of officers.

         The School for Mathematical and Navigation Crafts was liquidated in 1752. Its higher classes were joined with the Maritime Academy which was transformed into Gentry Sea Corps that existed in Saint Petersburg up to 1917. Its graduates contributed many brilliant lines into the history of the Russian Fleet. Among them are outstanding scholars - engineers A. Krylov, I. Bubnov and many others. After the October Revolution on its basis and in the same building was founded the M. Frunze Higher Naval School, still functioning today.

         Soon following the Navigation School, Artillery and Engineering School, and later, in 1703, Moscow Engineering School for 100-150 students were founded. Sometimes students from this latter school were directed to the School for Mathematical and Navigation Crafts for instruction in arithmetic and geometry. In 1713 the Petersburg Engineering School was organized which in 1723 was combined with the Moscow school.

        Creation of these schools was the beginning of an all-Russian network of institutions for general education of the first and second levels, in 1711 in Archangelsk, and later - in all gubernial capitals and at big monasteries. The significance of the School for Mathematical and Navigation Crafts for the history of engineering education in Russia has been great. It educated not only naval specialists but also civil engineers, mechanics, architects, as well as specialists of many other professions. It has a full right to be regarded as the first higher technical education insitution in Russia, and the date of its foundation - January 14 (or January 24th by new style), 1701 - as the starting date of the technical education in Russia.

        The approaching anniversary - three hundred years of higher technical education in Russia - bears international importance and ought to be celebrated at the appropriate level, with participation of President, the Federal Assembly, Government of the Russian Federation, Russian Academy of Sciences, relevant professional and public associations, students and faculty of all technical universities of the country. The emblem of the celebration should naturally include a silouette of the Sukharev Tower.

        Taking into consideration the importance and prominence of the three-hundred anniversary of the technical education in Ruusia for all higher education of the country, Ministry for General and Professional Education of the Russian Federation should be initiator and coordinator of the celebration.