Paid and free education. Paid education in the USSR under Stalin

On October 26, 1940, Resolution No. 638 was introduced “On the establishment of tuition fees in senior secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships.” In high schools and universities, paid education was introduced with a fixed annual fee. Tuition in capital schools cost 200 rubles per year; in the provincial ones - 150, and for studying at the institute you already had to shell out 400 rubles in Moscow, Leningrad and the capitals of the union republics, and 300 in other cities.

The annual payment roughly corresponded to the average monthly nominal salary of Soviet workers at that time: in 1940 it amounted to 338 rubles per month.

However, the introduction of even such a modest fee for many Soviet citizens closed the opportunity to continue their education after the 7th grade. And collective farmers then did not receive wages at all and worked on the collective farm for workdays.

As a result of the “reforms” carried out, the number of graduates from secondary schools (grades 8-10), secondary specialized educational institutions and universities was halved. The Soviet government deliberately sought to limit the number of people with secondary, secondary specialized and higher education. The country needed people at the machine. And this was achieved through economic measures: fees were set for studying.

In fact, Stalin at that time began the formation of a new class. The same peasants could not “make it into the people” even through studying at a technical school, and the workers could not through a university. Let us remember that in families of that time the norm was 5-7 children for peasants and 3-4 for workers. And paying for the education of 2-3 children was an unbearable burden for them.

At the same time, at the end of 1940, the regulation “On State Labor Reserves of the USSR” appeared. The Council of People's Commissars received the right to annually conscript from 800 thousand to 1 million urban and collective farm youth, starting from the age of 14, to schools and factory training schools (FZO). Graduates received assignments to enterprises where they were required to work for 4 years. And later a decree appeared on criminal liability for up to 1 year “for unauthorized leaving or for systematic and gross violation of school discipline, resulting in expulsion” from the college (school).” In fact, the state assigned students to the FZO.

The only social ladder for the lower classes then became military schools - education in them was free. Or after military service - work in the NKVD.

But even under Khrushchev, one actually had to pay for school education. On December 24, 1958, the law “On strengthening the connection between school and life” was adopted, introducing compulsory eight-year education. But at the same time, students in grades 9-10 had to work 2 days a week in production or in agriculture - everything they produced during these 2 days of work in a factory or in the field went to pay for school education. To enter a university, work experience of at least two years after graduation was now required. This “school reform” was canceled immediately after Khrushchev’s removal, and school education finally took on its modern form only under Brezhnev, in 1966.

No. 27 of October 26, 1940 Resolution No. 638. (pp. 236-2374 237-238). pp. 236-237 “On the establishment of tuition fees in senior secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships.” Taking into account the increased level of material well-being of workers and the significant expenses of the Soviet state on the construction, equipment and maintenance of a continuously growing network of secondary and higher educational institutions, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR recognizes the need to assign part of the costs of education in secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR to the working people themselves and to In connection with this, it decides: 1. To introduce tuition fees in the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades of secondary schools and higher educational institutions from September 1, 1940. 2. Establish the following tuition fees for students in grades 8-10 of secondary schools: a) in schools in Moscow and Leningrad, as well as in the capital cities of the union republics - 200 rubles per year; b) in all other cities, as well as villages - 150 rubles per year. Note. The specified tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools will be extended to students of technical schools, pedagogical schools, agricultural and other special secondary institutions. 1. Establish the following tuition fees in higher educational institutions of the USSR: a) in higher educational institutions located in the cities of Moscow and Leningrad and the capitals of the union republics - 400 rubles per year; b) in higher educational institutions located in other cities - 300 rubles per year... Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR V. Molotov Manager of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR M. Kholmov Moscow, Kremlin. October 2, 1940 No. 1860. The average salary at that time was 350 rubles. It would seem quite unexpected. Why would there suddenly be a decision that should cause great discontent among the population. You have to look a little from afar. It is important that the number of primary school students has not increased much since pre-revolutionary times. For even under Nicholas II, free primary education was introduced. But the load on middle and high schools has increased. Universal primary education was established by the end of the twenties. The general average is in the mid-thirties. From which, as you can easily guess, it follows: preparatory education for higher educational institutions (those three senior classes) in 1940 was only in its infancy. It cannot be considered a long-standing one, which suddenly suddenly became paid. Actually, the thirties were a period of formation of the school, and a very rapid formation at that. And the introduction of tuition fees in high schools, in fact, was the reason that the newly introduced social benefit simply could not be mastered at once. After all, we must remember, at the end of the thirties it became quite obvious: there would be a war. The country was intensively preparing for it, so plans for the speedy introduction of free higher education had to be postponed. It should also be noted that in 1943, Resolution No. 213 was adopted stating that free education was partially introduced in the USSR for representatives of the national borders in 1943 (in the Kazakh SSR, Uzbek SSR, Turkmen SSR). In 1958, under Khrushchev, fees for secondary education were formally abolished. In fact, it was simply cleverly veiled. According to the new law “On strengthening the connection between school and life,” high school students were required to spend 2 days a week not at their desks, but to work in enterprises, vegetable farms, or on collective farms. Of course, the schoolchildren did not receive payment for their work. All money earned went to the state treasury. To enter the institute, it has become a necessary condition to have at least 2 years of work experience. Later, under Brezhnev, the “Khrushchev school reform” was canceled, already in 1966. The USSR population census conducted in 1959 demonstrated that illiteracy among the country's population had been almost completely eradicated. That is, what is the logic here: in the most difficult period for the country, priorities were set in such a way that as many qualified workers as possible appeared (the labor force training was free). Probably not out of bloodthirstiness, but due to state needs.

Free, accessible to all education is one of the main advantages of Soviet power, both in the eyes of its supporters and opponents. However, at one time they actively disseminated information that even in the USSR there was paid education, introduced under Stalin.

This caused fierce debate, in which many citizens who had a positive attitude towards Stalin and the USSR actively denied the very fact of this. However, as an analysis of historical sources shows, under Stalin, in 1940, partial tuition fees were indeed established.

Resolution No. 638

We are talking about a completely official decision of the leadership of the USSR, signed by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) V. Molotov. Resolution No. 638 “On establishing tuition fees in senior secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships” was issued in October 1940, shortly before the war, and was canceled by a Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR in June 1956.

According to this decision of the USSR government, tuition fees were introduced in grades 8, 9 and 10 of secondary schools (as well as technical schools, colleges and other secondary educational institutions) and universities. For schools and technical schools, this fee was 150 rubles per year in most cities and villages, for Moscow and Leningrad, the capitals of the USSR, 200 rubles. For universities in capital cities (and Leningrad) - 400 rubles per year, for other universities - 300 rubles.

Reasons for introducing tuition fees

The reasons for such a decision, given that before this the Soviet government was rapidly pursuing a policy of spreading universal education, enlightenment and literacy for the population of the USSR, were very prosaic and were set out in the Resolution itself.

Although in order to understand the true meaning of the decision, you need to look at its historical context. The Council of People's Commissars in its decision directly states that in connection with the increased level of well-being of citizens of the USSR and, at the same time, the high costs of construction and the ongoing development of a huge network of higher and secondary educational institutions, the Soviet state decided to assign part of the costs to the citizens themselves.

In fact, this means that having reached a certain, very high level of education and literacy among the population compared to the post-revolutionary years, having made a tremendous breakthrough in the development of industry, science and education immediately before the war, the USSR spent too much on this unprecedented modernization of the entire country.

The country's leadership, apparently clearly realizing that the level of education of Soviet citizens necessary to prepare for war and industrialization had been achieved, a huge layer of the Soviet intelligentsia had been raised capable of meeting the needs of the country, decided to save money for further intensive development of the educational system, directing it to current needs . And the current needs of the USSR in 1940 meant preparing the country for an inevitable big war.

This was a more than justified step for a rather poor state, straining all its strength and resources to survive. In its breakthrough of the 1930s, the USSR reached a certain level of development of the education system, which provided for the current pragmatic needs of the country’s survival and the further development of this system exclusively at the expense of the state, which took place in part rather of “surpluses”, for which there were no resources in those conditions.

A feasible burden for the population

As a result of this decision and the subsequent tragedy of the Great Patriotic War, there was some slowdown in the rapid pace of the spread of public education. It should be noted that it was temporary, and the abandonment of measures to introduce paid education occurred immediately after the end of the war and the post-war period of reconstruction of the country.

As soon as the recovered state could afford to develop industries related not only to the needs of current survival, it immediately did so. It should be understood that paid education from 1940 to 1956 was not an analogue of European paid, elite higher and secondary education, which cuts off educational services and knowledge.

As historians and researchers of the Soviet period point out, the amount of 150 rubles per year for schools and secondary educational institutions and 300 rubles per year for universities in most cities and villages of the country was not something unaffordable.

Historians report that the average worker's salary in 1940 was 300-350 rubles per month. While amounts of 300-400 rubles for studying at universities were intended for annual training. Even if the indicated average salary is, one way or another, overstated, and in reality an ordinary worker or peasant could receive only 200 or even 100 rubles a month, all the same, the indicated prices for training do not seem prohibitive.

Yes, for the population of a poor country this money was not at all superfluous, and not all families had good salaries. For example, for the peasantry, these measures did create serious problems in social mobility. However, here we must understand that the Soviet government deliberately for a long time restrained the possibilities of horizontal mobility of village residents, keeping them on collective farms.

At the same time, the introduction of fees did not cut off some other ways of obtaining free education, for example, in military educational institutions, and during the entire period of “Stalinist paid education,” despite the war and post-war reconstruction, the country’s educational system developed.

Objectively, regardless of the political assessments of the Soviet government, the introduction of paid education in the most difficult conditions was absolutely justified and did not become an insurmountable barrier dividing different segments of the population by income level in the issue of receiving educational services.

It should be noted that despite the myths, largely formed by propaganda, a truly social state in the USSR was not built immediately, which was completely natural in those historical conditions. On the way to a fairly well-fed and calm life of a Soviet citizen in 1960-1970, the USSR went through periods of deprivation and self-restraint. A little more than 15 years of paid education was far from the most severe measure during these years of mobilization and asceticism.

On the morning of October 27, 1940, Soviet citizens read with unpleasant excitement the following government decree in Pravda, which made their lives not better and more fun, as usual, but worse and sadder:

COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS OF THE USSR
RESOLUTION
dated October 26, 1940 No. 638
ON ESTABLISHING TUITION FEE IN SENIOR CLASSES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE USSR AND ON CHANGING THE PROCEDURE FOR ASSIGNING SCHOLARSHIPS

Taking into account the increased level of material well-being of workers and the significant expenses of the Soviet state on the construction, equipment and maintenance of a continuously growing network of secondary and higher educational institutions, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR recognizes the need to assign part of the costs of education in secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR to the working people themselves and to In connection with this, it decides:
1. Introduce tuition fees in the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades of secondary schools and higher educational institutions from September 1, 1940.
2. Establish the following tuition fees for students in grades 8-10 of secondary schools:
a) in schools in Moscow and Leningrad, as well as in the capital cities of the Union republics - 200 rubles per year;
b) in all other cities, as well as villages - 150 rubles per year.
Note. The specified tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools will be extended to students of technical schools, pedagogical schools, agricultural and other special secondary institutions.
3. Establish the following tuition fees in higher educational institutions of the USSR:
a) in higher educational institutions located in the cities of Moscow, Leningrad and the capitals of the union republics - 400 rubles per year;
b) in higher educational institutions located in other cities - 300 rubles per year;
c) in higher educational institutions of art, theater and music - 500 rubles per year.
4. Tuition fees are charged to the relevant educational institutions twice a year: September 1 and February 1. Note: For the first half of the 1940-1941 academic year, tuition fees are paid no later than November 1 of this year.
5. Tuition fees in secondary and higher educational institutions are charged at half the amount.
6. Establish that from November 1, 1940, scholarships are awarded only to those students and students in technical schools who demonstrate excellent success.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR
V. MOLOTOV
Manager of Affairs of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR
M. KHOLMOV

Now we know that in the original version of the decision a reservation was made: “The children of Heroes of the Soviet Union, Red Army and Red Navy soldiers on active military service, and pensioners are exempt from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools.” But this paragraph was deleted from the final text of the resolution. The country really needed workers. There is no time for the offspring of heroes and Red Army soldiers.

However, a list of exceptions was soon compiled. In November 1940, everyone who studied at civil aviation institutions was exempted from tuition fees - this most important branch of the national economy required many specialists. And in December, children from orphanages, as well as children of disabled people and pensioners, if their pension was their only source of existence, received the right to free education.

Education in military educational institutions also remained free.

How did the decision of the native government affect the opportunities of citizens to receive secondary and higher education?
In 1940, the average salary in the country was 339 rubles. http://www.opoccuu.com/wages.htm

Thus, the established tuition fee does not seem to be so burdensome for the average Soviet citizen of that time. The realities of life, however, were different. In the same 1940, Saratov employee Genin sent Molotov a letter in which he complained about the poor financial situation of his family. With a salary of 450 rubles after deductions and voluntary-compulsory subscription to a government loan, he received 385 rubles in his hands. Meanwhile, 600 rubles a month were required just to pay for housing and food. According to Genin, he was not alone in his grief: “In the same house as me lives a teacher and his family, who has the same small income of 500 rubles. Often visiting each other, I know how he lives. Frankly speaking, this The teacher is rarely outside of school, for the second month now he has been walking around without underwear. He puts his trousers on right on his naked body. His clothes are no better than mine - they are ragged.”
For these people, paying even half their monthly salary for a child’s education was an impossible task. And families then, by the way, were usually large.

The average collective farmer in 1940 received 20-30 rubles a month in cash.

The native state had already taken care of the employment of the children of the poor, who were now denied access to secondary and higher education, having adopted another resolution three weeks earlier that provided for the forced organization of child labor. The Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On State Labor Reserves of the USSR" dated October 2, 1940 read, in particular:

"7. Grant the right to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR to annually call up (mobilize) from 800 thousand to 1 million urban and collective farm youth males aged 14-15 years to study in vocational and railway schools and at the age of 16-17 years for training in factory training schools.
8. Oblige the chairmen of collective farms to annually allocate, by way of conscription (mobilization), two male youth aged 14-15 years to vocational and railway schools and 16-17 years old to factory training schools for every 100 collective farm members, counting men and women aged 14 to 55 years.
9. To oblige the city Councils of Workers' Deputies to annually allocate, by way of conscription (mobilization), male youth aged 14-15 years old to vocational and railway schools and 16-17 years old to factory training schools in the amount annually established by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR ".
http://www.hist.msu.ru/Labour/Law/1940_10.htm

Of course, the official press was silent on the fact that the introduction of paid education directly contradicted the “most progressive and democratic in the world” Constitution of the USSR of 1936:
ARTICLE 121. Citizens of the USSR have the right to education. This right is ensured by universal compulsory primary education, free education, including higher education, a system of state scholarships for the vast majority of students in higher education, education in schools in their native language, the organization of free production, technical and agronomic education in factories, state farms, machine and tractor stations and collective farms. training of workers.
The Soviet government especially did not need educated Russian people - no concessions, indulgences or compromises were ever made for the Russian population on a national basis. While the numerical increase in educated “national personnel” in the republics was, in principle, welcomed. In 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted Resolution No. 213, which exempted some students from tuition fees in the Kazakh SSR, Uzbek SSR, Turkmen SSR, and Kabardian ASSR.

For all other citizens of the country, tuition fees were abolished only after the death of Stalin (“Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR On the abolition of tuition fees in senior secondary schools, in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of the USSR” dated June 6, 1956).

P.S.
Paid education in Soviet universities was not news in 1940. Back in April 1924, the country's leadership decided to establish tuition fees at universities in order to close the way for the “socially alien element.” Although formally everyone had to pay, the amount of payment varied greatly depending on what social category the student belonged to. For those coming from a worker-peasant environment, the payment was 25 rubles per year, and for others it could reach up to 300. The surviving “specialists” from the “former” at that time were mostly in the positions of small employees with a salary of no more than 30 rubles per month , so the rotten tradition of higher education in their families was decisively ended.

«- But the Soviets don’t believe that it happened like that))))
- Anton, I don’t believe it. I’m young myself, but I haven’t heard this from my parents or from anyone at all. It looks like misconception, or like very far-fetched facts.
- Alexander, there’s even a scan of the order from 1940 on the Internet... it’s funny, but no, the “scoops” don’t believe in something there...” http://svobodnye-novosti.ru/new/platnye_shkoly_v_sssr/

Poor Soviet citizens simply did not have the money to pay for their children’s education or their own education.
By the way, paid education contradicted Article 121 of the 1936 USSR Constitution.

What did the Soviet government do in this situation? The CPSU Central Committee held consultations with the governments of the union republics and decided abolish tuition fees based on nationality for students in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, technical schools and higher educational institutions. In 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted Resolution No. 213, which exempted from tuition fees:

-in the Kazakh SSR - Kazakhs, Uighurs, Uzbeks, Tatars(Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated January 5, 1943 No. 5);
-in the Uzbek SSR - Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, local Jews(Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated February 27, 1943 No. 212);
-in the Turkmen SSR - Turkmens, Uzbeks, Kazakhs(Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated March 19, 1943 No. 302);
-in the Kabardian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, tuition fees are exempted Kabardians and Balkars, studying at a pedagogical institute (resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated May 15, 1943 No. 528).

Only in 1956, three years after the death of the “effective manager”, the Best Friend of Children and Sports Students, school fees were abolished. http://serednyak.livejournal.com/157764.html

Original taken from brodaga_2 in On equality in the USSR. Paid education in the USSR for Russians.

Resolution 638 of October 2, 1940 On the establishment of tuition fees in senior secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships.
Taking into account the increased level of material well-being of workers and the significant expenses of the Soviet state on the construction, equipment and maintenance of a continuously growing network of secondary and higher educational institutions, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR recognizes the need to assign part of the costs of education in secondary schools and higher educational institutions of the USSR to the working people themselves and to In connection with this, it decides:
1. Introduce tuition fees in the 8th, 9th and 10th grades of secondary schools and in higher educational institutions from September 1, 1940.

2. Establish the following tuition fees for students in grades 8-10 of secondary schools:
a) in schools in Moscow and Leningrad, as well as in the capital cities of the Union republics - 200 rubles per year;
b) in all other cities, as well as in villages - 150 rubles per year.
Note. The specified tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools will be extended to students of technical schools, pedagogical colleges, agricultural and medical schools and other special secondary educational institutions.
3. Establish the following tuition fees in higher educational institutions of the USSR:
a) in higher educational institutions located in the cities of Moscow, Leningrad and the capitals of the union republics - 400 rubles per year;
b) in higher educational institutions located in other cities - 300 rubles per year;
c) in higher educational institutions of art, theater and music - 500 rubles per year.
4. Tuition fees are paid to the relevant educational institutions in equal installments twice a year: by September 1 and by February 1.
Note. For the first half of the 1940/41 academic year, tuition fees are paid no later than November 1st. G.
5. The fee for distance learning in secondary and higher educational institutions is charged at half the amount.
6. Establish that from November 1, 1940, scholarships are awarded only to those students and students in technical schools who demonstrate excellent success.
Chairman of the People's Council
Commissars of the USSRV. Molotov.
Manager of Council Affairs
People's Commissars of the USSRM. Khlomov.
Moscow, Kremlin. October 2, 1940 No. 1860.
Source:Collection of resolutions and orders of the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics No. 27, p. 910

Resolution 676 On approval of the order of the Supreme High School"About events on the implementation of the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the establishment of tuition fees in higher educational institutions and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships to students."

1. Approve the order of the All-Union Committee for Higher School Affairs under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On measures to implement the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on establishing tuition fees in higher educational institutions and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships to students.”
2 . Extend the measures outlined in the order for higher educational institutions (except for paragraph 5) to technical schools, pedagogical schools, agricultural and medical schools and other secondary specialized educational institutions.
Chairman of the People's Council
Commissars of the USSRV. Molotov.
Manager of Council Affairs
People's Commissars of the USSRM. Khlomov.
Moscow, Kremlin, October 12, 1940 No. 1993.
Approved by the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on October 12, 1940.

ORDEROF THE ALL-UNION COMMITTEE FOR HIGHER SCHOOL AFFAIRS UNDER THE COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMITTEE OF THE UNION OF THE USSR
On measures to implement the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR on the establishment of tuition fees in higher educational institutions and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships students.
In accordance with the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR “On establishing tuition fees in senior secondary schools and in higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships,” I order:
1. Directors of universities should establish strict control over the implementation of clauses. 3 and 4 of the Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of October 2. d. on the payment of tuition fees by students of all higher educational institutions.
Students who do not pay tuition fees within the established time limits will be expelled from higher educational institutions.
2. Students who receive at least two-thirds of the exam grades “excellent” and the rest not lower than “good” are enrolled in the scholarship.
Directors of higher educational institutions from November 1, 1940 to enroll in scholarships:
a) first-year students admitted to the institute without testing as excellent students in high school, and who received at least two-thirds of the grades “excellent” in the entrance exams, and the rest - not lower than “good”;
b) students, starting from the second year, who received at least two-thirds of the grades “excellent” at the spring examination session, and the rest - not lower than “good”.
3. Scholarship students defending their thesis project or passing state exams before January 1, 1941 will retain their existing scholarships.
4. Needy students enrolled on a state scholarship will be exempt from tuition fees.
5. Allow students in higher educational institutions to freely attend classes in some disciplines (no more than one third of the disciplines provided for by the curriculum) with the obligatory completion of practical work and passing all exams within the time limits established by the curriculum.
6. Grant students the right to transfer to evening and correspondence departments or to another university of the same type with the permission of the director of this higher educational institution.
7. Allow the People's Commissariats to send students who have graduated from a university, but have not passed state exams or have not defended their diploma project and have expressed a desire to move on to practical work, into production with the right to defend their diploma project or pass state exams within two years.
Chairman of the All-Union Committee for Higher School Affairs under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR
WITH. Kaftanov.
Source:Collection of resolutions and orders of the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics No. 28, pp. 946-948
Resolution 698About the amount of tuition fees in evening higher and secondary educational institutions and grades 8-10 in adult secondary schools.
The Council of People's Commissars of the USSR decides:
Establish that tuition fees in evening educational institutions (evening institutes, evening departments of institutes, evening technical schools and other evening special secondary educational institutions), as well as in grades 8-10 of adult secondary schools, are charged at half the tuition fee established for relevant educational institutions by Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of October 2, 1940 No. 1860 “On the establishment of tuition fees in senior secondary schools and in higher educational institutions of the USSR and on changing the procedure for awarding scholarships” (S.P. USSR 1940 No. 27, Art. 637).
Chairman of the People's Council
Commissars of the USSRV. Molotov.
Manager of Council Affairs
People's Commissars of the USSRM. Khlomov.
Moscow, Kremlin November 1, 1940 No. 2206.
Source:Collection of resolutions and orders of the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics No. 29, p. 969

“Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of October 15, 1942 N 1695 “On the exemption of Kyrgyz students in the Kyrgyz SSR from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions and the provision of scholarships to students.”
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of October 15, 1942 N 1696 “On the exemption of Tajik and Uzbek students in the Tajik SSR from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions and the provision of scholarships to students.”
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of January 5, 1943 No. 5 “On the exemption in the Kazakh SSR of Kazakh, Uyghur, Uzbek and Tatar students from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions and the provision of scholarships to students.”
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR of February 27, 1943 N 212 “On the exemption in the Uzbek SSR of students of Uzbeks, Karakalpaks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs and local Jews from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, technical schools and higher educational institutions and provision student scholarships."
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated February 27, 1943 N 213 “On the exemption of Azerbaijani and Armenian students in the Azerbaijan SSR from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, technical schools and higher educational institutions and the provision of scholarships to students.”
Resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR dated March 19, 1943 N 302 “On the exemption of Turkmen, Uzbek and Kazakh students in the Turkmen SSR from tuition fees in grades 8-10 of secondary schools, technical schools and higher educational institutions and the provision of scholarships to students.”
________________________________________ _________________________

Original taken from glavbuhdudin in Paid schools in the USSR
Original taken from melfm in Paid schools in the USSR
How and how much they paid for secondary education in the Soviet Union

When there is a conversation about increasing the volume of paid educational services in Russia, the older generation often recalls the Soviet Union, where “everything was free.” It is sometimes impossible to convince them, and often just one hint that they had to pay for education in the USSR causes a storm of indignation. “Mel” tells whether parents of schoolchildren really had to spend money on education during the times of Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev.

Informal fee

The school must be secular, uniform and free: so in October 1918, in their decree, the Bolsheviks formulated the basic characteristics of the system of primary and secondary education of the new republic. The system truly became secular - the lessons of God's law were abolished, not without obstacles. It also became unified - gymnasiums and separate schools were abolished, and students began to move from primary school to secondary school. But it took almost 40 years for the complete abolition of tuition fees.

In the first years of Soviet power, school education faced great difficulties: the impoverishment of the material base, confusion in the curriculum, and the deterioration of the social status of teachers.

The system was not centralized: many decisions were made by local authorities, boards of trustees and parent councils. This also applied to tuition fees.

The schools were financed not only by the People's Commissariat of Education and regional budgets and organizations, but also directly by the parents of schoolchildren. The People's Commissariat of Education (Narkompros) explained in 1921: “The introduction of payment means that the State is temporarily unable to fully bear the costs of public education and is forced to partially impose these costs on the population, providing broad benefits to workers and shifting a greater burden onto the shoulders of wealthy and well-off parents.” It turned out that the fees were optional - in the form of self-taxation, but without them the schools simply would not be able to operate. *

(* - note: “Resolution No. 638 was not the first in the USSR to introduce paid education. Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of March 22, 1923“On the procedure for collecting tuition fees in institutions of the People's Commissariat of Education” - it was this legal act that first approved the remuneration of educational services. Then a similar document was adopted - Decree of January 24, 1927“On the collection of fees in educational and educational institutions.” The fundamental difference between the first and second decrees was the change in the cost and mechanism of payment for education. http://istmat.info/node/21520)

In addition to the monetary educational “tax,” a natural “tax” in the form of products was also collected.

It depended on the region and those involved in supervising the school. How much needed to be spent on education was decided locally, so it was impossible to avoid special zeal. Party and government bodies had to clarify that the fee is voluntary, and students cannot be expelled from schools due to its absence, since this devalues the “conquests of October.” In 1924, a decree was issued that exempted workers and employees whose salary was less than 50 rubles from paying for secondary education: the poor had to pay for the wealthy. Some schools had promotion committees that determined how the funds collected would be spent. If the situation was favorable, they could even provide free textbooks and meals to poor students. At the same time, it was prohibited to charge fees in educational institutions located in factories and factories.

The collection measures were called “temporary” - until the state and educational institutions became stronger - but they lasted a long time. In the 1930s, a reform was carried out in secondary and primary education to unify the education system. They introduced clear lists of subjects and programs, raised teachers' salaries, but did not cancel optional financial assistance to the school directly from parents.

All for the factories

In 1940, paid education was officially introduced throughout the Soviet Union. According to the resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of October 2, free education was abolished in the last three grades of school and in special institutions of secondary education. Complete secondary education was counted at the end of 10 grades, and secondary education at the end of seven. Everyone had to pay; there were no exceptions in the decree. However, they were soon determined: children of disabled pensioners with a single source of income and orphanages were exempt from fees. A little later, it became possible for teachers’ children to avoid paying too. Other benefits concerned higher education, which also became not free: the abolition of the decree for military faculties, aviation educational institutions, as well as national studios in art universities (although the fees were supposed to be the highest in them).

At first glance, the price of training in the final classes of the school was not so high: in the capitals of the union republics, Moscow and Leningrad - 200 rubles per year, in other cities and villages - 150. According to statistics, in 1940 the average salary for workers and throughout the household income was 340 rubles. In agriculture it was significantly lower - 229 rubles, but depended on workdays and payments in kind, which practically limited the ability to pay for training.

“My parents worked on the collective farm for workdays and could not pay right away in September, otherwise they would have to sell something from the farm,” recalled Belarusian Nina Tikach. “And the class teacher stood me up at every lesson and asked when I would bring the money.” But still they didn’t expel me from school.”

In other areas, fees also took a serious toll on wallets. The preamble of the decree spoke about “the increased level of material well-being of workers.” But, for example, according to official data, food consumption was qualitatively inferior to the indicators of the second half of the 1920s. While maintaining the general level of purchasing power, material inequality among the population has increased. It is also necessary to take into account that the average number of children per woman in the pre-war years varied from 3.5 to 6.8. Of course, not all of them survived to high school and wanted to study there, but the fact is that one family could have more than one high school student. If in universities the fees could be covered by a scholarship, which was awarded only to those who studied well, then in schools the costs fell entirely on the parents.

It is difficult to say how the innovation affected the dynamics of the number of students in high school, since the Great Patriotic War began the following year. It naturally increased the number of beneficiaries - children of military personnel, disabled people and the dead.

The decision to introduce tuition fees could not but disturb the population of the country. Firstly, it appeared in October, introducing fees retroactively for the academic year that had already begun. Less than a month was allotted to deposit the amount for the first half of the year - until November 1. Not everyone could urgently allocate funds, and the resolution did not say a word about a loan or deferred payments.

Alexander Gladkov, Moscow resident, playwright:

“The decrees on the introduction of tuition fees are of great concern to young people. They say that the percentage of people leaving universities and schools is high. Among young people there is only talk about this and scholarships.”

Secondly, it was published on the same day as the decree “on state labor reserves of the USSR,” according to which workers’ education could become an alternative to paid education for young people. Collective farms and city councils were obliged to mobilize a certain number of young people aged 14-17 to vocational, railway and factory schools. Graduates of such educational institutions were required to work for at least four consecutive years in state-owned enterprises. It was not hidden that this was being done to “influx new labor into mines, mines, transport, factories and factories.” School studies in 1940 began on December 1: thus, schoolchildren who did not pay could easily begin their working careers in the same year. In addition, the draft age had been lowered a year earlier, so many poor students could now join the army.

University students literally began to riot, and teachers feared salary cuts.

Here is a letter about the situation in Minsk that was intercepted by the NKVD in October 1940: “Whole riots. They don’t listen to lectures, they go against the assistants, they make noise, they shout. At a general lecture they write such notes, it’s downright terrible. For example: “What should we call you now - Comrade Professor, or Mr. Professor, because we are going to the old one?” The official rallies were devoted to warm approval not of the introduction of tuition fees, but of the announcement of mobilization in workers' schools. As the Soviet press wrote, they were held at enterprises with joyful greetings and slogans about readiness to hire new personnel.

Perhaps to avoid real riots, the rules were soon changed for residents of some southern republics. In 1942-1943, resolutions were issued that were not advertised at the union level: to abolish fees for representatives of indigenous peoples in the Kyrgyz, Tajik, Kazakh, Uzbek, Azerbaijan and Turkmen republics. They were given significant quotas for higher education. Although this was contrary to the Constitution, which prohibited discrimination on ethnic grounds.

Completely free

Paid school education outlived Stalin himself. It was abolished in 1956 along with the introduction of state old-age pensions. Moreover, two years earlier the issue was raised by the prosecutor’s office, which saw a violation of the law in the unequal right to compensation for training costs in different republics. In subsequent years, attempts appeared to save budget money at the expense of students. For example, the reduction of service personnel such as cleaners - the students themselves cleaned up the school buildings. Or schoolchildren were sent to short-term work on collective farms and factories. But the school was now considered free, that is, existing with state money.

But for the sake of greater knowledge, you still had to use personal connections, compete with your own mind at the Olympiads, or pay. For example, music and art schools for children mostly remained paid.

In different parts of the country, conditions for schools in the use of infrastructure and material support were different. Informal fees from parents could solve minor economic problems and further encourage the work of teachers. We must not forget about spending on uniforms, food and stationery. An indispensable school attribute - textbooks - also had to be purchased. The state decision on the issue dates back to 1978, when the government decree on the transition to free use of textbooks came into force. Literature was obtained from school libraries and passed on through them by “inheritance” - the shelf life was determined to be four years. In case of loss or serious damage to books, schoolchildren faced sanctions - they were threatened with non-certification.

By the collapse of the Soviet Union, the secondary education system remained in its free form.
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And how touchingly Stalin’s concern for the poor Russian population was explained in Soviet newspapers

For a new rise in public education.