Literacy Committee

Categories / Science. Education/Learned Societies
LITERACY COMMITTEE, St. Petersburg, founded in 1861 on the initiative of S. S. Lashkarev as a part of the Free Economic Society in order to contribute to encourage an increase in education. It provided financial support to schools and took an active part in publishing and distributing printed materials. In 1861-95, it distributed over one million copies of books among schools, libraries, orphanages, and prisons and published 90 popular books with the circulation totalling some 200,000 copies. It published its own journal, Zanyatia Komiteta Gramotnosti (The Lessons of the Literacy Committee) between 1863 and 1868. It opened a school for country teachers in 1863, but it was closed by the authorities in 1866. The committee had a library of popular books and educational publications containing over 11,000 volumes by 1895. A number of teachers and public figures participated in committee activities including G. I. Falborck, V. I. Charnolussky, and D. D. Protopopov. Placed under the control of the Ministry of Public Education in 1896, the committee was reorganised into the Literacy Society.

Reference: Протопопов Д. Д. История С.-Петербургского комитета грамотности, состоявшего при Императорском Вольном экономическом обществе (1861-1895 гг.). СПб., 1898.

O. N. Ansberg. Charnolussky V.I.
Falborck G.I.
Lashkarev Sergey Sergeevich
Protopopov Dmitry Dmitrievich
Протопопов Д. Д. История С.-Петербургского комитета грамотности, состоявшего при Вольном экономическом обществе (1861-1895 гг.). СПб., 1898 Free Economic Society
Literacy Society