3-GORBACHEV+Jarvela,+Samu

Education-

What was the situation for that group/institution before Gorbachev became Premier?

Before the perestroika reforms, Russian individuals were categorized by scientific and cultural approaches. It was believed that the thought process of a person was strictly designated toward one particular social class. There were two different classes, which were the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. This categorization system did not affect individuals specifically, but the general population belonged to either group. Education was also highly linearized. Alongside this, the literacy rates were also extremely low. In 1897, only 24% of the Russian population above the age of 9 was literate. To improve this, Gorbachev wished to create reforms to remedy the problem. His objective was to create a better education field with the requirements and demands of the developing and futuristic economy. He and his supporters openly criticized the education establishment for its failure to implement the provisions of the 1984 reform, which concerned primary and secondary education.



How did that group/institution interpret the way in which Gorbachev's reform policies applied to it?

During 1985, Gorbachev and his supporters began telling schools that they were free to concentrate on education, and that politics would no longer be enforced in schools.

Many education departments responded with demands that enhanced the school system, as well as the quality of materials learned in class. There were also demands that required the students to learn the broadest possible view of materials so they can gain more freedom.

By 1986, there were increasing indications by the majority of the population that reforms had not gone far enough and that teachers should have a stronger role in determining the future course of education. This led to a reform of the reform, a series of initiatives designed to bring education in line with perestroika and to reinvigorate the 1984 reform effort through public discussion and example-setting. The reform of the reform included modifying the curriculum of the general education schools; shifting teaching methods away from lecturing and toward more of a freestyle teaching, along with an encouragement of free thinking.



How did the Soviet state apply those policies to that group/institution, and what were the effects?

The 1984 reform was motivated largely by the same forces that motivated Gorbachev to implement perestroika and glasnost, namely, changing economic and demographic conditions. Labor shortages during the 1960's and 1970's created pressure for a large percentage of secondary education graduates to pursue less educated careers rather than seek post secondary education opportunities. Intense career guidance was intended to steer students toward jobs needed in the labor force. In support of this objective, each school was to be linked to a base enterprise such as a firm, a laboratory, a factory, or a farm that would provide students with training and would hire many of them upon graduation.

The 1984 reform attempted to improve the status of education as a profession by raising the salaries of teachers. In addition, students were to start first grade at age 6 instead of age 7, schools were to be equipped with audiovisual equipment, and student class size was to be reduced. Ideological education was to be improved in the hope of regenerating some enthusiasm among students and teachers for a part of the curriculum that has typically been tolerated at best.

Through the reforms, there became a requirement of four years of compulsory primary education in the countryside and seven years of education in the towns. This development succeeded in including basic ideas of order, numeracy, and literacy, in the school systems and within nine years it over 81% of the population of Russia was literate above the age of 9.



What was the significance of Gorbachev's reforms as they pertained to that group/institution?

While the idea and plans of these reforms to education were sound and promising, they were, however, not carried out. All of the promised reforms on education were not able to be completed, due to the <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> economic and social conditions of the Soviet Union, which continued to deteriorate during 1989-1990. The attention to educational reform was redirected more toward the pressing problems of national survival due to the failure of the perestroika reforms in terms of economy. Change in education proceeded, but in a way that was increasingly less coordinated from the center and more determined by national, regional and local concerns, so it became much less effective.



<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.5;">Works Cited:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dunstan, John. "Soviet Education Under Perestroĭka: Papers from the IV World Congress for Soviet and East European Studies, Harrogate, UK, 1990." //Google Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bain, Olga B. "University Autonomy: Higher Education in Russia Since Perestroika." //Google Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kuorova, Alla V. "Russian Education Reconstructed: Perestroika." //Google Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wichmann, Jurgen, and Val D. Rust. "Problems and Prospects in European Education." //Google Books//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Trout, Thomas B. "The Educational Challenge of Gorbachev's Perestroika: What Do We Know? What Can We Teach?" //Contemporary Issues//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sweeney, Chuck. "IMPACT OF PERESTROIKA AND GLASNOST ON SOVIET EDUCATION." //IMPACT OF PERESTROIKA AND GLASNOST ON SOVIET EDUCATION//. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.