Some Aspects of Soviet Education

Leslie W. Ross Some Aspects of Soviet Education SINCE the launching of Sputnik I and the as general education in this country. The reader should bear in mind that Russian subsequent Russian space adventures which followed that momentous event, American education is historically patterned more models interest in Soviet education has been re- nearly after continental European than after American, and that in the Euro- flected in the public utterances of a number scheme education as we know of journalists, educators, statesmen, scientists, pean general it is centered almost in the politicians, reporters, and scholars. Several entirely pre- of the student. of our national leaders in these professions university experience base their comments on trips made to the Soviet Union within the last two or three The Soviet Educational Structure years. They have uniformly come away tre- In looking at the structure of Soviet edu- mendously impressed with the educational cation, we must first recognize that a pro- activities they have observed there. gram of school reform, to be implemented It is significant that Soviet interest in over a five-year period and designed to lay American education is nearly equal to our more emphasis on practical training, was interest in theirs. President Hatcher of the initiated in the fall of 1959. In terms of University of Michigan, upon his return structure, the major effect of the reform from a recent trip to Russia, said of the legislation (enacted on December 24, 1958) Soviets: will be to add one year to the seven- and The country whose dedication to education has ten-year schools described below. At the been their inspiration is the United States of present time, because of the recency of the America.’ new policy, we can only describe the system The progressive ideas of the followers of which has most recently obtained, and use this as a basis for the John Dewey apparently were rather widely evaluating projected as in- in Russia in the twenties and changes they develop. Early reports practiced early dicate that full realization of these thirties.2 changes will take some time. Further discussion of We in America for the last two decades the reform legislation appears later in this have witnessed a considerable focusing of paper under &dquo;Current Reform.&dquo; on education move- emphasis the general Education in the USSR is centered around ment. this movement has been Although a ten-year program it is that elementary-secondary variously defined, usually agreed which is on a 4-3-3 basis. There education consists of that organized general knowledge are schools of three types: four-, seven-, and which &dquo;all men should have.&dquo; In this paper ten-year schools. There is a standard pro- I shall to examine, other try among things, gram of studies for all students in the entire the to which Soviet education is pro- degree Soviet Union (with a few minor concessions those which are referred to viding concepts in terms of regional languages and litera- 1 Harlan Hatcher, "Our Soviet Neighbors," ture), so that every student is studying the Speech delivered at the University of Michigan, same subjects in every grade of the ten-year Ann Arbor, May 21, 1959. 2 George S. Counts, The Challenge of Soviet Mr. Ross is a graduate fellow in higher Education (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1957) p. education at the University of Michigan, 60-68. Ann Arbor. 539 540 system. This is true regardless of whether dent which is not easily perceived from a the school is a four-, seven-, or ten-year separate examination of each of these in- school; there is complete compatibility be- fluences. tween schools for any grade-level and for Thus, all the aspects of Soviet education of the Soviet Union. any region which are discussed in this paper may be The Soviets maintain that they have considered to be facets of the system of achieved universal, compulsory, seven-year general education. The goal is to mold the education, and in recent years they appeared ideal Soviet citizen, and considerable effort confident of raising this to the ten-year level is expended by the state to do this system- by 1960. Interpretation of the new school- atically and efficiently. reform program for 1959-1963 indicates, that the however, latter goal has been aban- of Soviet Education doned in favor of compulsory eight-year Objectives education, with secondary schooling to be Much can be learned and much can be understood in completed on a voluntary basis.3 Certain about Soviet education the curricular changes will also be made in the process of a careful examination of its ob- elementary and secondary schools. jectives. Just as we in the United States have certain which we Students who complete the ten-year cur- hoped-for learnings believe all should attain, so the riculum are eligible to take the university pupils matriculation examinations certain Soviets have developed purposes for general (except education. high-honors students who are excused). Stu- dents who complete the ten-year or seven-year The difference between American and curriculum may go into a tekhnikum, from Soviet purposes centers on three factors. which the outstanding students may after First, in the Soviet Union there is a quite four years apply for admission to an engineer- different concept of the knowledge essential ing institute. to every human being and the kind of individual the educational is to There are various other kinds of schools- system trying there is a marked differ- labor reserve schools and agricultural schools produce; secondly, ence in the of individual freedom -which will not be discussed here since they degree in the choice of matter; are essentially vocational in nature. permitted subject and there is a vast difference in the The consists of 33 thirdly, higher-education system which underlies each structure. universities, 732 ideology plus specialized higher- The of the individual and the educational institutions, variously known as place institutes, academies, higher schools, and knowledge that he should have are viewed in terms of state needs in the Soviet conservatories. There are also an undeter- entirely Union. The state is all that counts mined number of military, security police, in Soviet life, and education is considered the and Communist party schools.4 prime agency for accomplishing the state’s goals in In the Soviet Union, the general educa- the planned Soviet economy. The following tion of takes on forms which are much youth citation reveals the determination behind different from those in the United States. this concept: It should be constantly remembered, in any The of Soviet education is &dquo;the train- study of Soviet education, that there is a purpose totality of effect of the various curricular ing of educated, thoroughly developed, active builders of a communist and extra-curricular influences on the stu- society.&dquo;5 The reaction of one American observer 3 William K. Medlin, B—Soviet "Appendix to this is as follows: Educational Reorganizations for 1959-1963," in objective United States Department of Health, Education, It is not the individual around whom the edu- and Welfare; Office of Education, Soviet Com- cational system is built, but the state, which, mitment to Education (Washington, D.C.: Gov- by identifying itself with pursuits of the com- ernment Printing Office, 1959) p. 132. mon good, attempts the ruthless subordination 4 United States Department of Health, Educa- tion, and Welfare; Office of Education, Educa- 6 "How Russia Does It," (London) Times tion in the USSR (Washington, D.C.: Govern- Educational Supplement, November 29, 1957. p. ment Printing Office, 1958) p. 185. 1520. 541 of the individual-his rights, tastes, choices, is an avowed belief in the economic superi- privileges, and his training-to its own needs.&dquo; ority of Russian communism. We must also realize that an It is difficult for Americans to understand important of the Soviet educational scheme the total which the Soviet state has on objective grip is to for women the same the individual, and it is this basic provide essentially problem which are available to men. that accounts for much of our misunder- opportunities The U.S. Office of Education reports that standing of this system. In education all de- women constitute about 80 per cent of educa- tails of the educational system are predicated tion students, 60 cent of medical students, on this cornerstone of Soviet life. All ob- per and 30 to 40 cent of technical and unless have some reason for per engi- servers, they students, in and bias, have and admitted the neering semi-professional recognized education Women of this facet of Soviet education. higher programs.7 engage primacy in almost of Soviet life, When this influence is actively every phase fully appreciated, road and other observations of the educational including barbering, repairing, system various trades. the orientation is take on a different cast. heavy Again from the viewpoint of the needs of the state- A second feature of the distinguishing a worker is a worker regardless of whether Soviet is the determinism of the state system male or female. The Russians feel compelled in forth the curriculum which the setting to bend every possible effort toward tangible must is little or no student follow. There achievement in the area of industrial and individual freedom of choice of subject agricultural production. matter. The Russian rulers believe that any There are, finally, tremendous ideological kind of waste motion or inefficient activity differences between the United States and is, in effect, an act of treason against the the Soviet Union. Russia is ruled by the state. Thus the state has determined in Communist party according to principles of great detail what its needs will be in various Marxist materialism.

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