Fariza Vagabovna Magomadova (; born April 4, 1925) is a former Chechen

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

director and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

who pioneered efforts for

female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...

in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

. Magomadova has been awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

for her efforts in spreading

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

, particularly for young women, in the

Chechen-Ingush ASSR When the Soviet Union existed, different governments had ruled the northern Caucasus regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia. Within the Mountain Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, later annexed into the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Repub ...

Biography

Magomadova was born in 1925 in

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

. She graduated from High School No. 2 in

Grozny Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...

, and attended college in

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

. After graduation, she worked as a

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

teacher at a

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

and served as deputy director of High School No. 31 in Grozny. On 15 August 1959, she opened School No. 15, a

for girls, on Revolution Prospekt in Grozny. At a time when parents were reluctant to allow their daughters to be educated, Magomadova fought to allow parents to send their daughters to her new boarding school. Her first class consisted of 120 girls, mostly daughters of transit workers, and they ranged from grades four through ten. To ensure that her students would receive the best education of the day, Magomadova aggressively recruited the best

s throughout the

to work at her new boarding school. The fledgling boarding school proved very successful, as within six years education had been expanded from first through tenth grades, and in 1976 classes were set up in a separate boarding school for boys. The educational model of Magomadova's boarding school gained wide acceptance throughout the republic, and more and more parents allowed their children to attend boarding school. Magomadova left her post as boarding school director, to return to teaching - she would again teach math from 1983 to 1996. On July 9, 1960, the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

bestowed upon Magomadova the title of "Honoured Teacher", and two days later awarded her the

for her efforts. Magomadova has also been awarded the Veteran Labour award, and was awarded a pension by the

Russian government The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...

on 23 August 1998. On 9 October 2003, the Russian newspaper ''

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...

'' reported that arsonists had burned down Magomadova's home in

Urus-Martan Urus-Martan (; , ''Ẋalxa-Marta'' or , ''Martanthi'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Urus-Martanovsky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Martan River. Population: Geogr ...

; her husband Yunus, also a recipient of the Veteran Labor award, subsequently died of

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

because he could not survive the loss. The article also mentioned that Magomadova had trouble getting reconstruction aid from the authorities to build a new home.Profile
, novayagazeta.ru; accessed 18 April 2015.

References

External links

Chechnya Free.ru Article on Fariza Magomadova

Chechen.org Biographical Data

Novaya Gazeta article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magomadova, Fariza 1925 births Living people People from Grozny People from Tashkent Russian people of Chechen descent