Educational reform of 1958 and public discussions about the development of higher education in the USSR

Introduction. For a number of years, public discussions on issues of higher education have not subsided in Russia. The subject of general discussion is the task of improving the quality, efficiency and accessibility of Russian education. Under these conditions, the study of the historical experience of the USSR in the development and reform of the Soviet educational system seems to be especially relevant, since it meets the needs of the modern social development of the Russian state. The article analyzes the main principles and provisions of the educational reform of 1958, highlights public discussions on the reform and development of higher professional schools in the USSR in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sources and Methods. The source base of the article is represented by unpublished archival materials from the RGANI and RGASPI funds, as well as materials from the Soviet periodical press. The research is carried out mainly in line with the cognitive strategies of social history based on the method of critical interpretation of sources using the means of conceptual analysis. Analysis. The decisive role in posing the problem, developing the principles and main provisions of the educational reform belonged to N.S. Khrushchev. One of the important aspects of the reform was the search for the most effective organizational structure of higher education. According to Khrushchev's conception, preference was given to evening and distance education, and the task of increasing the accessibility of higher education for the worker-peasant strata of the population was solved. In the highest party and government circles, there was no unity in understanding the tasks and the mechanism for the practical implementation of educational reforms. Conclusions. An analysis of public discussions on the development of higher education showed that in scientific and pedagogical circles, as well as in society as a whole, instead of a comprehensive study of ways to overcome the separation of school from life, speculative ideas and a technocratic approach prevailed. The “nationwide discussion” of the reform, organized by party structures throughout the country, had virtually no significant impact on the choice of ways to develop higher education in the USSR.