Salient. An organ of student opinion at Victoria University, Wellington. Vol. 23, No. 9. Wednesday, November 9, 1960
Light And Shade
Light And Shade
Apart from these common grievances, Bilinsky notes four other categories of complaints, as mirrored in the Soviet press.
(1) | dissatisfaction with compulsory indoctrination classes in Communism and Soviet patriotism, |
(2) | demands for greater individual freedom, |
(3) | demands for undoctored information of the outside world, and |
(4) | basic criticism of the Soviet political and social system. |
Much of the last, of course, is kept out of the press and muffied in other ways, but it takes place nonetheless. For example, in 1956 members of a literary discussion group in Moscow were arrested after the soirees got out of hand and developed into "discussion of the government and criticism of the present leadership for delaying genuine democratization." In the same year a stormy students' meeting at Moscow University resulted in a manifesto demanding the replacement of the Supreme Soviet with a genuinely democratic body based on free elections.
However, this does not indicate that all Soviet students are a rebellious crowd living and working in sub-standard conditions. Judging by its results, the Soviet education system is competent; in a few fields it is outstanding. While a university student must undergo some hardships before graduating, educational standards are high in the big universities, and the cultural life full—and available at special student concession rates. Government scholarships take care of most financial worries, and students in important professions receive handsome rewards and prestige.
For the average student, however, there remains the problem of avoiding assignment to an unwanted job. During and immediately after the last war it was obligatory to serve in an "assigned" occupation for at least four years after graduation. Apparently this rule later became easy enough to evade, but has again been drastically enforced in an effort to channel qualified manpower where it is needed.