Nazli Najafova ( Azerbaijani: Nazlı Nəcəfova; 1890–1977) was a pioneering female educator in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. The founder of several academic programs for girls, including the first women's pedagogical school in her home city of Nakhchivan, and a forceful advocate for women's

literacy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

, she was frequently targeted by religious leaders and other authorities for her work. After spending 10 years in exile in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, she returned to Azerbaijan in the late 1940s and continued her educational mission.

Biography

Nazli Najafova was born Nazli Tahirova in Nakhchivan, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in 1890. She attended the Empress Alexandra Russian Muslim Boarding School for Girls in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, becoming one of the first students to graduate in 1908. She was notably influenced by the women's rights activist

Jalil Mammadguluzadeh Jalil Huseyngulu oghlu Mammadguluzadeh (, ; 22 February 1869 – 4 January 1932), was an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani List of satirists and satires, satirist and writer. He was the founder of Molla Nasraddin (magazine), ''Molla Nasraddin'', a ...

, whom she met in Baku. After graduating, she moved to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

to be with her family. She taught literacy courses to girls in Yerevan, as a separate class at a boys' school, which earned her death threats. However, she continued teaching the courses in secret. Najafova then returned to Nakhchivan, where she worked as a teacher at a girls' school. She eventually became the school's principal. Once again, she faced violent pushback to her efforts to educate girls. She was forced to spend more than half her salary on security guards. She persisted, however, and with the help of Ayna Sultanova founded a

pedagogical Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

school in Nakhchivan, as well as another girls' school in

Ordubad Ordubad is the second largest city of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the capital of an eponymous district. Ordubad is a medieval city of the Caucasus and in its current capacity of a town was founded in the 18th century. The town ...

. In 1921, her home came under attack by a gang that wanted to kill her, but she was away attending the First Congress of Azerbaijani Teachers and the attack was unsuccessful. Her husband, —who had supported her in her educational work—was arrested as an "enemy of the people" in 1937. She was then deported to Kazakhstan, where she continued to teach while working in a labor brigade. She returned to Azerbaijan in 1947. Najafov continued to teach after her return from exile, first in Goychay and then back in Nakhchivan. She died in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Najafova, Nazli 1890 births 1977 deaths People from Nakhchivan 20th-century women educators 20th-century Azerbaijani educators