ADJARA AND “SOCIETY FOR THE SPREADING OF LITERACY AMONG GEORGIANS”

Abstract

One hundred and forty years have elapsed since the establishment of the society dedicated to promoting literacy among Georgians. The society operated for sixty years and primarily aimed to liberate the people from ignorance and poverty.
A nation’s greatest asset is its intellect, which is why education is viewed as a priority for any cultured and civilized country. This holds true today as independent Georgia shapes its future. Since the 1860s, manufacturing, trade, and various social issues have come to the forefront, leading to new challenges in Georgia. These challenges had a global nature and affected different sectors of industry as well as education and culture.
The group dedicated to promoting literacy among Georgians was considered an unofficial public education ministry. This was to be expected, since the imperial Russian educational framework largely disregarded the education of subjugated populations and residents of its vast territories. Additionally, in schools, the Georgian language as the medium of instruction was replaced by Russian. For various reasons, education and culture attracted the attention of non-governmental and national organizations. One such group was «The Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians,» which was responsible not only for establishing schools and overseeing educational matters but also for operating libraries, publishing books, supporting the neutral sector, training staff, and more.