Adult and Higher education + Literacy rates

Why did the government also focus on educating adults as well as children?

In 1917 most adults had not received a secondary education. Therefore the government recognised that there was a need to address the educational needs of adults as well as children.

What did the Bolsheviks introduce to try and help educate adults?

Short courses that offered to teach adults basic literacy and numeracy and evening classes were offered to those in work.

What was a Rabfak?

Schools set up after the Bolshevik Revolution to teach basic literacy and numeracy to those who had dropped out of education.

Did adult education improve under Khrushchev?

Yes→ As a former rabfak student himself, Khrushchev expanded opportunities for adults allowing others to return to education as part time or correspondence students.

How many adults were in short educational courses by 1964?

Two million

What was the one downside of adult education?

They put additional strains on the worker who would have to study part time in the evenings.

Who was higher education reserved for during the Tsarist regime?

The rich

What programme did Narkompros declare after 1917?

That universities should be open to all and course were laid on to prepare those without formal qualifications for university study.

How did the government ensure equality of access to higher education?

The government took control of higher education and appointed a Communist sector for each institution

How did the government attempt to widen participation in higher education?

In 1929 they dropped the requirements for entry and introduced a quota system whereby 70% of places in higher education had to be allocated to those of working-class origin.

What was the result of dropping entry requirements for higher education?

Negative→ Attempts to meet the quota system led to a drop-out rate of 70% as many students failed to finish course for which they were ill-prepared

The quota system was abolished in 1935.

What was expanded during the Khrushchev era? What did this result in?

Higher education institutions specialising in technical subjects.

In 1964 half a million were studying in higher education on a part time basis.

What were the main reasons for the increasing amount of people in education?

The provisions of free tuition and a system of grants to support students’ living costs BUT the grants were very low and could be withdrawn for poor performance in exams.

How many soviet citizens were involved in education by the early 1980s?

One third of soviet citizens

What was the illiteracy rate in Tsarist Russia?

65%

What campaign did the Bolsheviks launch in 1919?

A campaign to bring about ‘the liquidation of illiteracy’. The main aim was to make all Soviet citizens aged between 8 and 50 literate.

What was the purpose of improving literacy rates for the party?

The party saw this as necessary to ensure modern technical skills could be taught and learnt as well as opening up the population to a wide range of communist propaganda.

What methods did the party use to improve literacy rates? (3)

• Tens of thousands of ‘liquidation points’ were set up in towns and rural areas, where people could undertake basic literacy courses.

• Remedial schools, called rabfaki, were set up for workers who left schools without basic literacy and numeracy skills

• All soldiers recruited into the red army had to attend literacy classes as part of their service

How many people participated in ‘liquidation points’ courses?

Between 1920 and 1926 five million people completed these courses

How did the literacy rates improve over time?

• In 1939, 94% of the urban population was literate and 86% of the countryside

• By 1959 these figures were at 99 and 98%