Features of education in the Kazakh family

Associate Professor, Doctor of pedagogical science Absatova M.A master Karazhigitova A

Kazakh National Pedagogical University named after Abai

Family is a complex public phenomenon. Being a part of public environment, it creates a basis for child’s standards of behavior, gives him a start in life. The viability of our country is directly connected with the family position.

Society’s development is related not only with the spiritual growth and development of every person individually, but also with his level of knowledge, conscience, desire to be useful; and such valuable qualities of future society’s members, of future fathers and mothers, of teenagers should be cultivated from childhood. Family plays the leading role in achievement of these public, social, nationwide goals, which have great importance. There is no doubt that every family pins the hopes on the future of their children. And the authority of the family in child’s eyes plays great role in cultivating humanity.

A family is a social category formed in the history of human development and being constantly formed. It represents a social group, which was formed as a result of disintegration of primitive system. It has always coexisted closely with society, with its versatile relations, and spiritual wealth. A family has always been directed at the development according to the laws of its society in conditions in which it existed. The same is true of the Kazakh family.

From ancient times a family was considered a pillar of society. Our ancestors used to say “My family” instead of “My house”, and in the same way “smoke of hearth” instead of just “home”, the head of the family was called “a master of fire”.

This is determined by the source of the whole nature, existence of all mankind, by the concepts of sun, land, water, air, and fire. In accordance with these concepts, “head, master of fire”, to be more precise, its origin is directly related to community of concepts of nature, society, all living, which are also perceived with the help of the word “fire” and clearly show the integration meaning of education in a family.

Changes in family are directly related to the changes in market economy in social and public environment of the state. Since a family is the most decisive factor in spiritual, social, and economic development of society, education of comprehensively developed personalities, bearers of humane principles with the right world outlook is connected with the family.

Education in a family is related to the public education. And though it closely relates to the whole system of public relations, particularities of personal character, various extent of life attitudes and views leave its mark on the upbringing process. Along with this, it is worthy to note the importance of the fact that the material conditions are determined by various economic conditions, kinds of professional activity of its members etc. And the spiritual aspect of a family is formed by humane, family, legal, and psychological relations inside the family.

To bring up well-rounded people, today’s families have the following opportunities: influence of a family should prevail over other educational measures; family is the main link of the government in upbringing of a citizen of a civilized, legal society; a family is a successor of the national traditions preserved during many centuries; a family affects child’s free and conscious choice of future profession.

From this viewpoint a family is the first school, which teaches a child to be humane and philanthropic.

The meaning of this conclusion was well interpreted by M.Auezov in his proverbial saying “If you want your country to be strong, start to bring up a child from his cradle”.

The particularity of Kazakh family is a joint living of three or four generations under the same roof. The main person in a family is a father. Nobody can replace the training that only father can provide. His obligation is to teach exemplary behavior, and a father has to be a model to imitate, authority in everything. A mother has such beautiful qualities as kindness, patience, wisdom, and love. A son is father’s helper, a caring brother, treating his mother respectfully, successor of his family’s traditions. A grandmother is wise, friendly, kind, she is a tutor of her grandchildren; a grandfather (aksakal) is a man of wisdom, who has seen and known a lot, clever adviser, support, who can always render assistance.

In conclusion it can be said that by means of grandfathers, grandmothers, father, mother, son, grandson, great grandson etc. the education in Kazakh family is being eternally continued.

Each age of a person is directly related with the surrounding reality; age particularities have their own place in human life. Therefore its study is aimed not only at preparation of the future generation for life, but also at correct direction, considering their age, wishes, goals, and pursuits. Usually we treat such concepts as “age”, “youth” etc. one-sidedly. It would be more correct to view physiological age as a period of maturity attainment, psychological age as a development of psyche, and the age from the viewpoint of pedagogic science as an extent of mastering of cultural wealth of society.

From this position, the national pedagogics divides the human life into child age and age of a lamb. Such classification is determined by the fact that the life of the Kazakh people was closely linked with animal breeding. For instance, child age is from one to ten years, and during this period conscience and feelings of a child are developed. Age of a lamb is from 10 to 15 years, and during this time a person grows wise. At the age of 15-25, the standards of behavior are formed. At the age of 25-40, a person settles down to married life and comes into ethic relations with other people. King’s age is over 40, when a person becomes a respected member of society, saving its traditions, and can have the right to rule a country.

Scientist I.Shamshatuly explains the age classification from the social point of view: “Classification by ages determines the human social position in society. It is based on the extent to which the generation represents the active force of the society. Once sociologists classified the future generation according to the age groups: Teenage period – 1-16 years; Young generation - 17-35 years; Middle age – 36-50 years; Elder generation – 50-70 years; Aged generation – from 70 years and older.

Such classification is determined by social particularities and total purposefulness of generation’s social activity”, notices the scientist.

Scientist L.S.Vygotskiy notices in his studies that “in every age group its own particular relations and rules of communication are established”. Thus, such popular scientists psychologists as L.S.Vygotskiy, A.N.Leontyev, S.L.Rubenstein, L.I.Bojovich, K.B.Zharykbaev, Zh.Y.Namazbaev, K.A.Orazbekova and others consider a certain individual who has perceived public relations in the course of his life a subject with established integral psychological structure.

Kazakh people determined a human lifetime to be approximately 100 years and thought this period to be one century. One hundred years were divided into 4 parts: the first 20 years is a period of youth, the second period is 25-50 years, the third period is 50-75 years, a period of fatherhood, starting from 75 years is a period of old age.

According to the Kazakh tradition, human life is originally divided into twelve-year periods – mushel. There are 8 periods. Child cycle (13), adolescence, young men (25-37), middle age (46-91), elderly age (73), old age (85-97). These cycles, in their turn, are divided into several more periods. For example, the child cycle (mushel) is subdivided into 6 sub-cycles: infancy (up to 2 years), early childhood (10-12), teenage (13-15), senior teenage (15-16). A period when a boy becomes a young man is divided into 4 more periods: teenage, late youth, period of passionate feeling, period of seniority. In accordance with these age periods, such concepts were formed: child (14-15 years), teenager (15-18 years), young man (20-37 years), man (35-55 years); and people aged 55-65 are addresses respectfully adding special endings. At the age 60-70 they are called aksakal (a man with white beard, aged person), above 70 years people are respectfully called grandfathers, honored man.

In understanding of the Kazakh people, “the one who doesn’t know three ancestry lines is a stupid man” (father’s relatives, mother’s relatives, wife’s relatives). A well-brought-up man should know perfectly his traditions, history, culture, language, customs, etiquette, should have skills to cook national dishes, play national instruments and sing.

Using the national approach we can clearly see how thorough is the age classification of child in pedagogics of the Kazakh people’s, how the age particularities are considered, and what great importance was attached to these particularities of human development.

As a result a conclusion is made that human social development is systematized in people’s pedagogics and that at formation of humane, moral, interpersonal relations this science in school system is one of the opportunities of personal education.

Literature

1.Abay’s writings. Almaty, 1994.

2.Zharykbaev K.B., Kaliev S.K. Anthology of thoughts, opinions regarding education among Kazakh people. Almaty, Rauan, 1998.

3.Kazakh proverbs and sayings (composed by Smaylova A.T., Almaty, 2002).

4.R.K.Toleubekova, Ye.Zhumataeva. Ethnological pedagogy (training manual). Pavlodar, 2007.