Bracka School
Bracka School (alternatively spelled as Bratska School or Bratska Shkola; Cyrillic: Брацка школа or, literally, Brotherhood School, Fraternal School or Fellowship School; hereinafter, the School) is a community-driven educational initiative originated in the end of XVI century in Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Eastern Europe.
The School is not a legal entity; it does not collect money or execute its economic existence. The School's students are supposed to contribute some endeavor instead of paying tuition and/or other fees.
History
Eastern Slavic languages, which sometimes are referred as Ruthenian languages, have been a lingua franca in Eastern Europe for centuries. Particularly, predecessors of Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian languages dominated in the majority of lands of Great Duchy of Lithuania. So did the Eastern Orthodox church. However, this duchy itself was formally a part of the greater Polish state called Rzeczpospolita. That greater state promoted the Catholic church and Polish language. Notably, this promotion could be seen in education. For instance, the public schools in Great Duchy of Lithuania used Polish language, not Eastern Slavic ones.
To reflect these divergences, Polish nobleman of Eastern Slavic descent and Eastern Orthodox Konstanty Wasyl Ostrohski opened Ostroh Academy in Ostroh, Great Duchy of Lithuania, in 1576. This academy is now considered being the first institution of higher education in Ukraine. Without doubts, it influenced the wave of fellowship schools that followed shortly.
Orthodox fraternities (Cyrillic: брацтва or братства) established their schools in Lviv (1586), in Mogilev (1590-1592), and in Brest (1591). These schools were often supported by print houses that belonged to the fraternities.
In 1998, a group of enthusiasts established in Mogilev an informal educational institution that claimed the heritage of Mogilev fellowship school.
