Losy nauczycieli świeckich po III rozbiorze na przykładzie szkoły wydziałowej w Lublinie

Aim: The article discusses the fate of secular teachers using the example of the departmental school in Lublin after the Third Partition of Poland. This school (1780–1794) emerged from the provincial school (1774–1780). Methods: Appropriate for the history of a pedagogical thought and the history of education. Results: The staff included 4 rectors, 4 prefects, 24 teachers, and 8 language instructors of French and German. After the Third Partition, only 15 teachers As citizens of Austria, Prussia, and Russia, they faced various forms of repression. They endeavored to remain faithful to pedagogical ideals from the Enlightenment era. Where possible, they implemented the educational program of the time, as dictated by the National Education Commission. They participated in independence movements, defending values such as autonomy of higher education institutions, the right to conduct unrestricted scientific research, and the preservation of national identity. They were aware that their professional work required decisions between blind obedience and negation, as well as between betraying national values and defending them. The values recognized by the generation of Poles born in the times of captivity depended – to a large extent – on them. Conclusions: The fate of the National Education Commission teachers after the Third Partition of Poland has not been widely discussed in historical and pedagogical research. Therefore, there is a need to undertake comprehensive research on the fate of not only lay teachers, but also members of the National Education Commission, the Society for Elementary Books, inspectors, and religious teachers.