Oral History Project

Title: Date: The Challenge of Soviet Education October, 2, 2013

Interviewer: Nurgul Alkeyeva Interviewee: Tatyana Anatolyevna

N: Hello, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Nurgul Alkeyeva. I am a student at Nazarbayev University, in the Graduate School of Education. Today we are going to talk about the Challenge of Soviet Education. Our Interviewee is Tatyana Anatolyevna, VicePrincipal at International College of Continuous Education.

In order to understand the education system you came through, and understand schooling in the past, I would like to ask you a few questions about your current position and beliefs. I am working as Vice-Principal at the International College of Continuous Education in Astana. I was recommended for this position by Principal Shelukhina Ludmila Nikolayevna in June, 1998. I began my career in the pedagogical sphere as a teacher of Literature and Russian. From my childhood I dreamed of becoming a teacher. I used to play school with my friends.

What do you think, can anybody become a Vice-Principal of an International School? Is it enough to have a goal and to seek for it or does it require something more? I believe not everyone can become a Vice-Principal of an International School. It requires special attributes; one should be patient, intelligent, it is also necessary to learn "from within" and to have foreign experience, to realize and accept the philosophy of other educational systems. You need to effectively manage faculty, students, and other staff. Moreover, you should be eager to master new ways, new ideas and changes in commitment, sequence and desire.

What habits or personal qualities lead to success? Did you have them when you were appointed to this position? The success of a Vice-Principal depends on the following capabilities: to be able to skillfully recruit well-qualified employees, to predict further development and consequences of a situational choice, to show initiative and to accept responsibility for decisions. It is important to be both rational and creative, to be an initiator, to be critical and be ready to dialogue.

Could you describe to the younger generation what the educational system was like during the period you studied at school? I studied from 1959 to 1969. It was an especially authoritative school where there were a lot of rules: the girls could not wear bangs or let their hair down. The boys could not wear their hair long. Students went everywhere in two columns and were so fearful, they had trembling knees. We were afraid of the School Principal and the teacher's room. We wore school uniforms and had special footwear for indoors; if you forgot these at home you were not allowed to go to the lessons. But nevertheless, I remember our lessons and school life with pleasure: I could interact freely with and engage the intelligence of the teacher. Teachers were very respectful of students and pupils were officially addressed using only the formal Russian term for "You". Teachers did not dare shout at pupils or offend them. I belonged to the Pioneers. At the age of nine, the best October (postrevolution) kids, the ones with the best marks, good behavior and positive feedback were to proceed to the next level of Soviet pioneering. But this is a totally different story. The main goal, however, was the creation of a Pioneer Cult and its maintenance; the next step after the Octobrists, which kids joined at the age of 9. They had their own set of rules, all rhymed, like a good proclamation to live by. Usually each school class would contain up to three Pioneer teams. Each team had a designated captain, a discipline watcher, a note taker and other positions ensuring the smooth organisational process of the every day life of Pioneers. Summer (June to August) was the time to take off the tie and enjoy a well-earned school break. Many kids would be sent to the Pioneer summer camps,the places to stay for a few weeks, play, rest, do sports, meet new friends.

In the 3rd grade of school, children were allowed to join the Young Pioneer Organization, which was done in cohorts, as a solemn ceremony in a Pioneers Palace. Only the best students were allowed into the cohort. Not being admitted at all was odd, and lack of desire to join was considered suspicious and shameful. The main symbols of the Young Pioneers were the red banner, flag, Young Pioneer's red neck scarf and the badge with Lenin's profile. The badge bore the slogan of all pioneers Always ready! which was meant to be a reply to Pioneer, be ready for the mutual action of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union!. That was what kids were doing until the age of 14, when there began a new rite of ideological passage the Komsomol.

What kind of factors influenced the formation of the educational system and the development of curriculum? As far as I remember, everything was strictly according to the plan, connected with Minprosa, which set all the standards. Schools were not authorized to make their own decisions. The same plan, same textbooks, same thoughts and judgments were in effect in every school. There was no right to express ones own opinion; it was necessary to think and speak according to the accepted rules of the society. At that time, it was a 10 year education process. In the classroom there were no new technologies, as now. Visual aids were included: chalk, a board, the textbook from publishing house Prosveshenie. The education

system was supervised by the Ministry of Education of USSR. No attention was paid to the learning of languages other than Russian.

Why didnt all children have an opportunity to study at school and how did it affect their situation in society? How did they become independent people and become contributing members of society? At that time, all children had an opportunity to study at school. Furthermore, the students tried to study well because the motivation was rigid: "If you study well you will enter the institute/high school you will make your career you will get worthwhile wages you will be a successful person! That is why they were engaged in learning as much as they could.

It is obvious that teachers in the past were quite different from what we see now, isnt it? Do you agree with such a statement? Teachers back then certainly differed from today's teachers. They were more intelligent, more competent, moreresponsible. They worked at schools to sow kindness, to sow that which is eternal, instead of to earn! Did you or your classmates have a chance to study abroad? Was education free? I do not remember anyone from that period who studied abroad. The Moscow State University was the limit of our dreams. Also a grant was given, called

Lenins Scholarship! When studying at institutions of Higher Learning, students were sponsored by stakeholders and the state. Any citizen of Kazakhstan or Russia had the right to free education (any level) if he was receiving the grant for the first time. In this case, the student needed to get the total points necessary in order to qualify.

Thank you very much Miss Tatyana. We are now out of time. I really enjoyed the interview. Also I wish you success in your career, wish you new opportunities to provide continuous professional development for your staff and students.

The Challenge of Soviet Education (contributed by the project "Oral History Project" which is implemented by the Graduate School of Education with the assistance of Nazarbayev University, Astana, the Republic of Kazakhstan) 02.10.2013