Educational process in the correctional-labor system of the USSR in 1923

Abstract

Everybody knows about the important role of the education in the human life, its influence on the way of thinking and action. It is easier to manipulate by the uneducated persons. It is difficult for such people to live in the law-abiding way in the modern society. After obtaining the state power the bolsheviks began the active work against illiteracy, in particular in the places of deprivation of liberty. However, it should be mentioned about the ideological one-sided approach to the education of the bolsheviks. They were good agitators (the effective mean of strengthening its totalitarian power) and they made the ordinary people a «gray faceless crows with the washed brains». It was easier to manipulate such crows in comparison with the uneducated people. Such situation illustrated the educational process in the correctional-labor system of the USSR in 1923.

1. The educational process in places of deprivation of liberty in the USSR in 1923 was held in the form of interviews, questions, answers, collective work of the inmates in groups. They were distributed into 3 groups: illiterate, a little literate, literate.
2. In the first two groups the training period was 3 months (12 hours per week). In the third group it was 6 months (12–24 hours per week). Afterwards it was planned to reduce the number of training hours.
3. In the first group language and arithmetic were taught; in the second group – language, arithmetic, geography, political texts and history; in the third group – language, arithmetic, geography, history, political grammar, science, hygiene.
4. In July of 1923, the process of «ukrainization» began in the framework of the inmates training. It was caused by the general policy of «ukrainization» in the republic.
5. Not all the inmates were covered by education: some of them did not want; the local education departments were often unable or just did not want to provide the inmate with the educational process.
6. About 50% of teachers at the penal establishments were the inmates themselves.
7. 83.8% of the illiterate and88.6% of a little literate inmates were up to 30 years old.