Školská politika vo Vojvodine po zrušení Vojenskej hranice (1872 – 1918) na príklade Kovačice

JAN HRĆAN
Metodické centrum, Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici

School Policy in Vojvodina after the Abolition of the Military Frontier (1872–1918): The Case of Kovačica

Abstract: The study examines the development of educational policy in Vojvodina from the abolition of the Military Frontier in 1872 until the end of World War I, using the Slovak community of Kovačica as a case study. This period was marked by significant political, administrative, and cultural transformations within the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which strongly influenced the organization and functioning of local schools. The transition from the centralized military administration to local self-government initially resulted in institutional uncertainty and conflicts between teachers, church authorities, and the population. The introduction of state control, compulsory Hungarian-language instruction, and Aponyi’s school reforms illustrates how education became a tool of nationalizing and assimilationist policies. Despite these pressures, the Slovak community in Kovačica actively sought to preserve its cultural and linguistic identity through church institutions, community engagement, and educational initiatives, including the construction of a new school and the defense of Slovak as the language of instruction. World War I brought severe disruptions to schooling due to the mobilization of teachers and wartime conditions, underscoring the fragility of education in times of crisis. The political changes of 1918 and the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes opened new opportunities for Slovak education, including official support for instruction in the mother tongue and the emergence of Slovak secondary schools and teacher-training institutions. The case of Kovačica demonstrates the complex interaction between state power, church authority, and local communities in shaping educational practices, as well as the central role of schooling in safeguarding cultural identity within a multiethnic environment.

Keywords: Slovaks abroad, Vojvodina, Kovačica, educational policy, Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Military Frontier, Aponyi Laws, Slovak minority, language policy, national identity, school history.