Goals Of Education
- Communists tended to believe that education was important.
- Lenin believed that a high level of education, with basic literacy, was an essential part
of building socialism. - Socialism required industrialisation which required a well-educated workforce who
could understand the complex process of industry. - Education served the long-term goals of the revolution by laying the foundations for
industrialisation.
Problems Of Education in 1917
- Only 32% of the population was literate
When was the Commissariat of Education set up?
1917
What did the Commissariat of education promise?
- free and compulsory education to all aged 7 - 17
How was the Commissariat of Education pointless to those in the countryside?
- many children did not attend, especially at harvest time
- they themselves prioritised manual labour on farms
What did the Decree on Literature require?
- all illiterate between the ages of 8 - 50 to learn to read and write
How many could read and write by 1918 and then 1921?
1918 - 50%
1921 - 86%
What was Stalins campaign against illiteracy?
- it was relaunched from lenin’s, focused on fixing attendance + under-staffing
- recruited 3 million volunteers from Komsomol to educate workers and peasants
How did Stalin’s campaign against illiteracy fail?
- the 3 million volunteers called ‘cultural soldiers’ were poorly equipped + poorly supported
- 40% of teachers attacked
How many were literate by 1939?
94%
Gender divide in literacy in 1939?
97% of men literate and 90% of women
Inequalities of Secondary education under Stalin?
- any education above primary required fees - created a wealth divide
- by 1937 only 7% of children completed secondary school
How many teachers did Khrushchev have employee in 1953 and then 1964?
1953 - 1.5 million
1964 - 2.2 million
What percent of teachers had a uni education in 1953 and then 1964?
1953 - 19%
1964 - 40%
How were schools not improved under Khrushchev?
- schools were small and lacked resources
- any benefits were only beneficial to towns and cities - divide remained
When was Khrushchev’s educational reform?
1956
What did Khrushchevs 1956 educational reform do?
- abolished fees for secondary schools
- funds established in 1959 to support poor secondary students to go
number of 17 year olds attending secondary in 1953 and then 1959?
1953 - 20%
1959 - 75%
How many attended secondary in 1976 under Brezhnev?
60%
How many teachers had a uni education by 1978?
70%
