Introduction
Modern schools in Iran began to operate during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah. After the establishment of boys’ schools, new schools for girls were also founded. In Birjand, the Shokatiyeh Boys’ School was founded in 1907, becoming the first modern-style school in the Qayenat region. Afterwards, girls’ schools started to appear in Iran. Forough al-Saltaneh Azarkhshi founded the first girls’ school in Mashhad in 1917. Following the Shokatiyeh Boys’ School, the first girls’ school in Birjand was established fifteen years later, in 1921, by the second Shokat al-Molk. From the very beginning, this school faced many challenges and problems.
This article aims to answer the following research questions:
What was the most important challenge faced by the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School in Birjand during its first fourteen years of activity?
What were the origins of the cultural, economic, and administrative challenges of the school?
How were the cultural and economic challenges of the school resolved?
Method
This article is a historical study based on library research and relies on unpublished documents from the Astan Quds Library. After collecting, rereading, and classifying the data, the information was analyzed using a descriptive-analytical approach in order to provide a clear picture of the problems and challenges that the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School faced at the time of its establishment.
Results
Different experiences in establishing girls’ schools in Mashhad and Tehran may have influenced the idea of creating such a school in Birjand. Shokat al-Molk II, the governor of Qayenat, was especially influenced by the cultural situation in Tehran. In one of his letters to his family, he mentioned his efforts in educating his daughters, Fatemeh and Zohreh, and his decision to hire a teacher for their education. He later developed this initial plan into the establishment of the first girls’ school in Birjand. One reason for the delay in founding this school was the difficulty of finding a competent manager to run it.
Challenges were greater in girls’ schools. The traditional society was generally unwilling for girls to pursue education. Some believed that women’s literacy would reduce their commitment to household duties. After the preparations for founding the school were completed, a call for student registration was published. In an announcement addressed to mothers, the necessity of educating girls was emphasized. Shokat al-Molk II began to encourage others by taking practical steps within his own family and personally took responsibility for the protection and supervision of the school. The timing of the school’s establishment was also important and gave it a religious dimension. In addition to Shokat al-Molk II, his mother, Hajar Harivandi, played an important role in countering opposition to the girls’ school. She considered the opening ceremony of the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School to be among the holiest gatherings. Her speech was a response to the conservative attitudes of Birjand society. Providing qualified administrative staff and a capable manager for the first girls’ school in Birjand was one of the major problems. Despite many difficulties, Tooba Mahmoudi was appointed as the first principal of the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School and worked there for more than six years. The second principal was Hakimeh Hakimollahi, who also experienced disagreements with the school’s founder. Princess Malakeh Abolmalouki Qajar was the third principal, serving from 1929 to 1934.
One notable characteristic of the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School was the teaching of foreign languages. Like other modern schools, it followed a path of innovation. However, it was difficult at that time to find women capable of teaching foreign languages. Madame Wygornitsky was the first foreign teacher hired in 1923 to teach a foreign language at the school. Later, Mademoiselle Luba Kosminsky was hired in 1930. Russian teachers were employed mainly because of their ability to teach French. Similar to the boys’ school, modern sciences were taught at the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School. Some subjects considered suitable for girls, such as sewing, were also included in the curriculum.
One of the challenges of the school was the shortage of teachers for specialized subjects such as mathematics. Although the teachers were good, they lacked some qualifications compared to the male teachers in the boys’ school. The problem became more serious when students’ academic weaknesses combined with unfamiliarity with school regulations. Another problem was the lack of familiarity among some teachers with administrative rules. Failure to follow regulations was also observed among students; some were frequently absent for various reasons. Disorder at the school was not limited to the classroom, and similar situations were reported in other school activities. Financial payments were another challenge. Poor financial management led to delays in paying the salaries of teachers, supervisors, the principal, and staff. One reason for these problems was the negligence of those responsible for paying the school’s allocated funds. According to the available documents, this was not an occasional issue but a frequent and routine one. In addition to Tooba Mahmoudi, Hakimollahi also faced financial disputes with the school’s founder. Payments to Malakeh Abolmalouki, the third principal of the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School, were also highly problematic.
Discussion and Conclusion
Modern education for girls in Birjand, which began in 1921, faced various cultural and economic challenges. The education of girls was still considered problematic by the general public and by some traditional religious scholars. Therefore, the founder of the Shokatiyeh Girls’ School, using his political influence and with the support of certain clerics and intellectuals, tried to create the necessary conditions for girls’ entrance into the new school. The mother of Shokat al-Molk II was also one of the main supporters of this initiative. The lack of educated local women who could teach or manage the girls’ school in Birjand was another major challenge. The teaching of foreign languages was also a significant difficulty, which the school’s founder addressed through his previous relationships with former Russian officials. As a result, Madame Wygornitsky and Luba Kosminsky were employed to teach French. The lack of qualified teachers and their unfamiliarity with educational regulations, along with weak discipline, were additional challenges that were resolved gradually through experience over the course of a decade. Funding the school through the financial support of the governor of Qayenat was one of its positive features. Income from various properties was allocated to sustain this cultural initiative. However, irregular salary payments and reliance on individuals rather than on a structured administrative and financial system led to financial problems during the first decade of the school’s activities. Mahmoudi, Hakimollahi, and Abolmalouki, the first three women who served as principals, faced financial difficulties caused by delayed payments, which eventually led to their departure from Birjand and hindered long-term cooperation. This challenge gradually decreased with the appointment of a special agent for financial affairs, and later, from 1934, with the transfer of school management to members of Shokat al-Molk II’s family.