ORGANIZATION OF THE ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT BY THE SOVIET SCHOOL IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 1920s – 1930s (on the Example of Educational Institutions of the Chuvash ASSR)

Abstract

Based on the analysis of various historical sources, the article examines the issues of organizing the activities carried out by schools of the Chuvash ASSR in the second half of the 1920s – 1930s. The article characterizes the qualification requirements for senior executives of schools, it lists the main powers and duties of school principals and directors of schools, as well as deputy principals (heads of teaching). The process of approving the principle of unity of command in educational institutions in the 1930s is shown. The main claims to the management of schools by the People’s Commissariat for Education of the Chuvash ASSR are marked. The requirements for the teaching staff and classroom teachers are presented. The role of pedagogical and staff meetings, pedagogical councils and methodological bureaus in improving the professional level of teachers is noted, the main directions of work performed by these councils and methodological bureaus are highlighted. The activities of the school council, school assistance committees, parent committees and student organizations are described in detail, their role in ensuring the educational process is emphasized. The authors give specific examples illustrating the importance of these organizations in the life of the school. It is noted that although schools functioning in the republic was de jure under the constant control of the People’s Commissariat for Education of the Chuvash ASSR, municipal and district departments of public education, in reality, the activities of many schools were out of their sight. The article concludes that, despite difficult conditions for the development of school education in the second half of the 1920s – 1930s, during this period a clear structure of a comprehensive school was created, which ensured continuity of education and preserved its main features until the mid-1980s.