Inspectorate of Public Schools

a government office founded in 1869 on the initiative of D. Tolstoi, the reactionary minister of education in the tsarist government, to maintain surveillance and supervision over the public schools and the reliability of the teachers. The inspectors of this office carried out administrative and supervisory functions in overseeing the zemstvo (district) and parochial schools in towns and rural districts. Initially one inspector was assigned to each province, but beginning in 1874 the number for each province was increased to three. Directors and inspectors of public schools were obliged to combat “politically and morally criminal propaganda” in the schools. The inspectorate existed until the October Revolution of 1917.