The Educational System in Czechoslovakia in 1948–1989
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | PAMIEC I SPRAWIEDLIWOSC / REMEMBRANCE AND JUSTICE |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://czasopisma.ipn.gov.pl/index.php/pis/article/view/2701 |
| Keywords | Czechoslovakia; school system; communism; ideology; historical analysis |
| Description | The aim of this analysis is to present the Czechoslovak educational system under communist totalitarianism, i.e. from 1948–1989. The most important turning points and milestones of that system in the described period are presented, both the ideological changes, and the gradual reform efforts. The shape of the school system was modified repeatedly in Czechoslovakia under the communist regime. The length of mandatory education was changed several times, the system of schools and their names were changed. Throughout the period under review, nationally valid curricula and syllabuses were binding, and these were altered in response to changes in the education laws. A number of expert discussions were held on the shape of Czechoslovak education, however, these did not cross the “boundaries of the times” during this period. Moreover, many of the interventions were carried out primarily for ideological reasons and without regard for pedagogical considerations. The period of the 1950s can be seen as particularly problematic in this respect. The 1960s brought hope, culminating in the so-called Prague Spring of 1968. However, these hopes were violently ended in August 1968 with the Warsaw Pact invasion. The subsequent period of ’normalization’ brought a return to a distinctly rigid communism. The influence of the Soviet Union and its pedagogy and the strong ideologization of education (influenced by the scientific worldview of Marxism-Leninism) were evident throughout this period. |