LANGUAGE OF EDUCATION UNDER COLONIAL CONDITIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TURKESTAN EXPERIENCE WITH BRITISH INDIA AND FRENCH NORTH AFRICA

Abstract

This article provides a comparative analysis of language-of-education policies under colonial conditions and their socio-cultural consequences in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study compares the experiences of Turkestan under the Russian Empire, British India, and the French colonies of North Africa, particularly Algeria. It examines the introduction of Russian into the educational system of Turkestan and the establishment of Russian-native schools, the relationship between English and local languages in India, and the dominance of French in administration and education in French North Africa. The findings demonstrate that in all three regions, colonial powers used the language of education as an instrument of political administration, cultural influence, and the training of administrative personnel. At the same time, local languages and traditional educational institutions were not completely eliminated; rather, they were subjected to varying degrees of control and restriction or were forced to coexist with the new colonial system. The distinctive feature of the Turkestan experience was that the policy of Russification was closely connected with schools, madrasas, and administrative governance