BRANCHES ACTIVITY OF "NATIVE SCHOOL" SOCIETY IN POKUTTIA (1900 – 1939): CONTENT AND ACTIVITY DIRECTIONS

The purpose of the article is to elucidate the educational activity of the circles, branches of the “Native School” in Pokuttya during 1900 – 1939 on the basis of the analyzed archival sources and scientific literature. The Scientific Novelty. In the article on the basis of archival documents and scientific works for the first time there has been elucidated the circles activities, which performed the duties of branches of the society “Native School” in Pokuttya during 1900 – 1939. The main directions of the society's branches work in Horodenka, Kolomyia, Sniatyn, Tovmach, Tysmenytsia, Otyniya have been singled out and analyzed; their educational, cultural and public activity has been characterized; separate statistical data on a quantitative composition of circles have been illustrated. The principles of objectivity and historicism are the methodological basis of the research. The methods of analysis and synthesis, archival and statistical (cliometry), problem-chronological, comparative historical methods have been used in the research. Adherence to the principles of objectivity and historicism prompted the authors to consider the study of the activities of the society "Native School" (Ridna Shkola) in Pokuttia, taking into account the peculiarities of each historical period, under conditions of different state systems, political relations and circumstances. The methods of analysis and synthesis have been used to study the structure of the society. The information potential of statistical evidence required the use of the cliometry method. Periodization of the society activities “Native School” in Pokuttia has been carried out by using the problem-chronological method. The comparative historical method allowed to show the participation of the society members in government bodies, cultural and educational organizations, etc. The Conclusions. The establishment in 1881 of the Ruske Pedagogical Society (since 1912 – the Ukrainian Pedagogical Society, since 1926 – the “Native School”) was an adequate response of the Ukrainian national conscious intelligentsia to the biased educational policy pursued by the Austro-Hungarian government in the field of Ukrainian schooling. The Ukrainian Pedagogical Society set itself the goal, through the organization of conducting various reports and educational courses, the creation of schools and preschools, scholarships, gymnasiums and institutes, publishing the Ukrainian language educational and fiction literature. The Ukrainian Pedagogical Society set itself the goal to give a Ukrainian child a Ukrainian teacher, to educate him in his native language. In Pokuttya the branches of the Ruske Pedagogical Society were established in Kolomyia, Horodenka, Tysmenytsia and Sniatyn. In 1913, due to the reorganization, the branches of the UPS were transformed into circles, but with the authority of the county circles. Disrupted by World War I and the Polish-Ukrainian War, the activity of local UPS organizations was resumed during the first half of the 1920-ies. Under conditions of the new occupation policy, the work of native school societies was aimed at cherishing the Ukrainian language, history, culture, running and maintaining private gymnasiums, schools, arranging and maintaining kindergartens in summer, collecting donations for the “Native School” and other educational needs, holding holidays and parties for young people and children, concerts in honour of prominent Ukrainian figures, etc. As a non-party institution according to the statute, the “Native School” often became the object of an inter-party competition. Leaders of local political forces often directed the activities of native school organizations in the direction they needed. In general, the branches, and later the circles of the “Native School” in Pokuttya were not only the most effective local Ukrainian educational organization in the region, but also during the 1920-ies – the 1930-ies managed to become ideological and organizational centres of the struggle for the Ukrainian school and its development in the region.