Abstract
Purpose: The article aims to conduct an unbiased study of the composition and content of documents preserved in the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Kyiv and the state archives of Volyn, Zhytomyr, and Rivne regions. The analysis of these documents allows for a detailed understanding of the specifics and features of secondary education development in Volyn at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, to reflect the role of imperial authorities and local self-government in this process, and to highlight the financing of new educational institutions. Methodology: The proposed work utilizes the general principles of system analysis, incorporating components of general scientific (generalization, formalization, and abstraction) and theoretical-empirical (analysis and synthesis) methods of archival studies. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the authors' first systematic examination and introduction into scientific circulation of various complexes of archival documents, preserved in archival institutions of Ukraine, which illuminate the features of secondary education development in Volyn Governorate at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Conclusions: The results of the analysis of archival sources, which shed light on the peculiarities of secondary education development in Volyn during the period under study, particularly regarding the role of imperial authorities and local self-government in these processes, confirm that, collectively, the complexes of archival documents provide researchers with essential information on the studied issue. They allow for tracing the role of local self-government bodies in the development of the network of secondary educational institutions in the region. However, it should be noted that the archives lack collections for a number of educational institutions, or they are represented by only a few files. Therefore, specific aspects of their activities can only be clarified by studying the activities of local self-government bodies, through whose efforts several secondary educational institutions were opened in the region. Despite this situation, the source base for the studied problem is quite representative, allowing for an objective portrayal of the development of secondary education in Volyn at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Nevertheless, it remains largely unengaged in scientific discourse due to its dispersion among various collections and regional archives, as well as the lack of systematic updates in scientific and informational publications and comprehensive scientific research. The study of the experience of private secondary educational institutions in the region and their interrelationship with central authorities remains relevant for our present day. Special attention should also be paid to the functioning of secondary educational institutions in Volyn during World War I, as the region was initially a frontline area, and from 1915, active hostilities took place on its territory, with parts of the Western counties being occupied by Austro-Hungarian and German troops.