Page 289 - Zbornik 27

294 Jevto Vu~kovi} NZ27/2003

Jevto Vu~kovi}

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AT SJENICA’S DISTRICT
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IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19 CENTURY
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AND IN THE 20 CENTURY

A development of elementary school teaching at Sjenica’s district, which in
some periods was differently named as a parish Sjenica, range Sjenica, area admin-
istrative district and commune, and that depended on a historical, political, mate-
rial, sociological and cultural-educational occasions and from a public enlighten-
ment and a level of population’s sense in some periods.
From present conditions standpoint for school work and opening, a whole
period of one and half century be split on time of the Turkish domination of untill
1912, period Austria occupation from 1915 untill 1918, a period of German Italian
occupation from 1941 untill 1945 and period of liberty between those periods and
after the Second world war. Every of these periods are specific in many ways, but
the most important is that in the periods without freedom work at schools was often
without continuity and also with interruptions.
The material about schools work from 1945. untill 2000. was published in
the Novi Pazar journal 25/2001, and this article is about schools work from 1855.
untill 1945 (1855–1912, 1915–1918 to 1918 in 1945). Untill 1912 a territory of
Sjenica’s commune worked five Serbian primary schools (four for boys and one
for girls) and 32 Moslem (29 for boys and 3 for girls). Serbian schools (Lopi`e and
Sjenica) started their work at ecclesiastic’s school buildings, and in Aljinovi}i and
[tavalj at private houses. The Moslem children attended classes of religious teach-
ing at primary schools called mejtef.
The financing of school work was different. Funds for teachers stipends at
Serbian schools were ensured illegal by a Serbian government and about funds for
material expenses attended ecclesiastic — school communes. About Moslem’s
schools attended religious union (called vakuf) untill 1869. when the law of schools
at Turkey was brought with which was introduced an obligation of tax payment
(mearif) from 2,5% which was payed by all taxpayers for religious union support.
Without continuity and irregular Serbian schools worked particularly in the
year of revolts and rebellions when the Turkish authorities punished and expelled
teachers and closed schools. When a practice like that was characteristic for Ser-
bian-Turkish wars (1867–1868) and after them, like as for a period of Raonica’s re-
volt at parts of Western Serbia in the period from 1903. untill 1908.
In consideration of a small number of schools and voluntarysm of attending
significant number of take children fit for education did not attended schools, and
because of that illiteracy was at the highest level. Three rural Serbian schools at-
tended on an average about 30 pupils, with an exemption of Sjenica, where average