"The history of our school is glorious and rich. It is concentrated not only in albums and posters. But it is in hearts and memories of the graduators who increase their cultivated kindness, which is in deficit now, by their actions and knowledge. The graduators of the teachers' training school have it much more in percentage than other people. Believe me. And thanks a lot to my native school for it."

А.Shumilov, 1967 graduator, Candidate of Historical Science

In 1999 Lukoyanov Teachers' Training School celebrated its 70th anniversary. The jubilee of the educational institution is not only a holiday, but it's a an important milestone on its way of the developing, when there is a will to look through the pages of its history, sum up the issues, appreciate the achievements and look to the future.

Foundation of Lukoyanov Mordvinian Pedagogical Technician

After the Great October Revolution there was a sharp question about the liquidation of illiteracy in our country. In October, 1918, All Russian Central Executive Committee publicized the resolution "About the united labour school" which foresaw making two-stage unifying school. On December,31, of the same year this regulation of people's commissariat of enlightenment "About schools for national minorities", according which all the nationalities of the RSFSR had the right to be educated in their own languages. The problem of national minorities' education touched Nizhniy Novgorod province, too. On its territory besides the Russian population there live the other peoples: the Tartars, the Maries, the Mordvinians, the Chuvashes, etc.

As for the Mordvinians, they lived on the territory of 10 districts of Nizhniy Novgorod province. The first large region of the compact living of the Mordvinians the Lukoyanov district might be called, because there are a lot of Mordvinian villages in radius of 30-40 kilometres around Lukoyanov. Nowadays they are included into 5 districts: B.Boldino, Gagino, Lukoyanov, Pervomaisk and Shatki. Most of them live in Lukoyanov and Shatki districts.

The second region of the compact living of the Mordvinians Verkhnepyanskiy region might be called. It occupies territory of some districts located around Sergach: Krasny Oktyabr, Pilna, Perevoz, Sergach, Sechenovo and others. According to the level of literacy among the people of Povolzhye Mordvinian people were at the last stage. In 1920 it was about 12% only.

The most important problem of creating of system of the Mordvinian schools was a shortage of teachers who can teach in Mordvinian language. The local authorities tried to solve it by their own strength. Mordvinian teachers' training technical schools were opened in some regions. Teachers for Mordvinian schools prepared on special courses. However, disconnection of Mordvinian people around some regions made the creation of Mordvinian faculties at teachers' training schools which were already existed more reasonable. It was the most suitable way because it made it possible to use material resources and the teachers of Russian Teachers' training schools, and create the Mordvinian sections in all the regions where the Mordvinian lived.

In 1923 Pochinki pedagogical technician was opened, and in 1928 the Mordvinian section was created inside it. The needs in teachers in this region was so high that soon Nizhny Novgorod Regional Department of People's Education made a decision of moving of the Mordvinian section of Pochinki pedagogical technician to Lukoyanov and creation of the self-dependent education institution - Lukoyanov Mordvinian pedagogical school. Officially the day of the foundation of Lukoyanov Mordvinian pedagogical school is February, 1, 1929, but studies there began since January, 1, 1930, when 20 students of the second course and 4 teachers came there from Pochinki.

All the year of 1929 round there was a preparation of the material recourses for the school. V.P.Kiushov was appointed the first director of the school, he had worked at Nizhny Novgorod Regional Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks), at the department of national minorities, before. He was a very energetic and persistent leader. All the work for organization and making of the material recourses and forming a pedagogical staff was fallen on his shoulders. He obtained the decision of problem of location of the pedagogical technician in special buildings.

The pedagogical technician received some buildings such as the building of the first-step school (gyms of the college nowadays), the house of Kommuna Street, 32 for the apartments for teachers, and a two-storey building on the territory of the former women's convent for the students' hostel.

A new pedagogical staff based on the teachers who came from Pochinki. They were A.S.Glukhov - head of studies and a teacher of Mathematics, A.N.Nazarova - a teacher of Biology, G.N.Vernov - a teacher of Literature and K.I.Kurochkin - a teacher of Handicraft. Then the second-step school teachers, such as D.A.Taskin - a teacher of Geography, I.V.Irsetsky - a teacher of Physics, A.I.Neveshkina - a teacher of foreign language, became the teachers of Lukoyanov teachers' training school. In 1930 a big group of young Mordvinian teachers came to the school; among them A.A.Kumanev - a teacher of Physics, N.D.Andronova - a teacher of Mordvinian language, G.L.Andronov - a teacher who a little bit later would become a head of studies, G.S.Yermushkin - a teacher of History, K.I.Mansurova and M.A.Vinokurova.

In 1930 V.P.Kiushov moved to Moscow and entered the Institute of red professorship. He had a tragic fate. He was repressed and died in Stalin's prison. After he left A.D.Dyakov had been a new director for a short time, but from 1932 till 1940 the director of the pedagogical technician was F.A.Kargayev, and the head of studies was G.L.Andronov. In 1930 there was the first graduation of the teachers from the Lukoyanov Teachers' Training School. There were twenty of them. In 1932 a pre-school section was opened. Until 1934, the pedagogical technician was exactly the Mordvinian one, there were only Mordvinian groups there. In 1934 one Russian group was taken on, and in 1936 there was an equal receiving: 2 Mordvinian and 2 Russian groups were taken on.

In 1938 Lukoyanov pedagogical technician was renamed as Lukoyanov Mordvinian pedagogical school. During pre-war years a good industrious pedagogical staff was formed at school. Very experienced and respectable teachers worked there. The 1934 graduator Nuikin gave a very impressive description of the teachers of those times in his memories. "Names of our teachers can't be written with brevier and can't be said about in rapid speech. Imposing, attentive, and sensitive F.A.Kargayev is a director who is always in a hurry, as if he has a hundred affairs before; careful G.L.Andronov - a head of studies. The favourite of everybody, a little bit elder us, a cheerful, outgoing and very noble and intelligent person is A.A.Kumanev. Kind, attentive, tactful and sensitive people are A.N.Nazarova and M.A.Vinokurova. Fountain of wisdom, gentle and hearty person is D.A.Taskin. After each name we consciously stop for the sign of the long=time thought, memory and deep respect. They didn't bring us up, but we were brought up by their reasonable insistence, diligence, clear honesty and devotion to their profession. There were always with us".

In 1940 F.A.Kargayev was mobilized into the Red Army, and for a short time, since 1940 till 1941 the director of the pedagogical school was I.N.Feshin and K.I.Mansurov was a head of studies. Before the Great Patriotic War started (since February of 1941) A.A.Kumanev was a director of the school.

Before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War 606 primary school teachers were graduated from the pedagogical school. Most of them were of the Mordvinian nationality.