Records of the Department of Education in Fond Head of District Murska Sobota – District School Board for Prekmurje in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1920 to 1929

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the content of the education department files from the collection of the District Authority of Murska Sobota – District School Council for Prekmurje, collected in the period of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Kingdom of SHS) between 1920 and 1929. The analysis of these archival sources provides insight into educational administration and its content and linguistic characteristics within a historical context. Methodology: The paper outlines the history of the Prekmurje region during the period of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Kingdom of SHS, allowing for an understanding of administrative division and office practices during the studied period. A descriptive data collection method was employed. The empirical section includes the historical analysis of the creator and the collection, as well as a catalog of archival material according to the ISADg2 standard in the database of the Slovenian Public Archive Service, with a focus on the material-technical condition of the records. Results: The results showed that the collection is hierarchically structured and that the creator operated under various titles, most recently as a district chief. The archival material was already organized chronologically by year and file number, which prevented reconstruction of the collection's original arrangement. The files are well-preserved, easily readable, and primarily pertain to elementary school matters in the districts of Murska Sobota and Dolnja Lendava between 1920 and 1929. Discussion: The findings confirm the appropriate archival organization of the collection, enabling a review of established office management practices during the period of the Kingdom of SHS. The preservation of the material and the accessibility of the content serve as valuable resources for further research on the role of educational institutions in the region and the development of educational policy in the post-World War I period.