Abstract:

This research paper delves into the role of the renowned poet Abulqasim Lahuti (1887-1957) in

the development of public education in Tajikistan. Originally from Iran, Lahuti faced persecution

for his revolutionary speeches against the Iranian Shah's regime, resulting in a death sentence

and imprisonment, from which he managed to escape.

Upon escaping from prison, from 1922 until his death, he permanently resided in the Soviet

Union. Lahuti is rightly considered one of the classics of the modern Tajik literature. Many

books have been written about him in the Republic of Tajikistan, and academic research is still

ongoing. However, practically nothing has been written about his work as the Head of the Tajik

Institute of Education. The Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI) in

Moscow holds documents that show the role of Lahuti in the development of the Tajik Institute

of Education.

Through this research, Tahir Kalandarov tries to uncover some of the gaps in the history of

Tajik public education, shedding light on another aspect of the poet's personality, namely the

organizational skills of Lahuti.

Lahuti’s life in the 1920s and 1930s was marked by a whirlwind of complex socio-political

upheavals. He faced frequent harassment from his enemies and was compelled to write

numerous letters to state agencies of the Soviet Union, advocating for the importance of

preserving and advancing the Tajik Institute of Education.

Soviet historiography used to write laudatory odes about the role of the Bolshevik Party in the

development of public education in Central Asia. This study, however, shows that the

development of public education in Central Asia in the 1920s-1930s of the XX century was not

very favorable.

Kalandarov’s research reveals that despite the everyday and technical difficulties, many

prominent representatives of the Tajik Soviet Intelligentsia, such as the poet M. Tursun-zade, the

writer S. Ulug-zade, Professor M. Irkaev, the first Tajik General M. Tashmukhamedov, the state

official Z. Salomatshoev, and others, were educated within the walls of the Tajik Institute of

Education