V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:PSS/v42;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

(Private. For the record. Not for publication.
I shall think this over once or twice more.)

One cannot write about polytechnical education like that: it turns out abstract, for the distant future, without taking into account the urgent, present, sad reality.

It is necessary

1) to add 1 or 2 theses on the fundamental significance of polytechnical education

2) to state clearly that in no way can we abandon the principle and the immediate implementation, to the extent possible, of precisely polytechnical education.

Away with the 17th thesis.

Concerning the second level (ages 12–17) say:

The extremely difficult economic situation of the republic demands at the present time unconditionally and immediately

the merging[14] of the second level with vocational-technical schools,

the transformation[15] of the second level into vocational-technical schools, but at the same time, in order to prevent it from turning into craft training, the following precise rules must be established:

1) avoid early specialisation; draw up instructions on this.

2) expand general education subjects in all vocational-technical schools.

Draw up a programme by years:

3) set as an unconditional task the immediate transition to polytechnical education, or, more precisely, the immediate implementation of a number of steps towards polytechnical education that are feasible right now, such as:

This is extremely important. We are impoverished. We need carpenters, fitters, immediately. Unconditionally. Everyone must become carpenters, fitters, etc., but with such an addition of a general educational and polytechnical minimum.

The task of the second-level schools (more precisely: the higher classes of the second level) (ages 12–17): to provide a fully knowledgeable person in his trade, fully capable of becoming a master craftsman and practically prepared for this

carpenter,

joiner,

fitter, etc.,

with the proviso, however, that this “craftsman” has a broad general education (knows the minimum fundamentals of such-and-such sciences; specify exactly which);

is a communist (specify exactly what he must know); has a polytechnical outlook and the foundations (rudiments) of polytechnical education,

namely!

(aa) basic concepts of electricity (define exactly which),

(bb) of the application of electricity to mechanical industry,

(cc) – » – also to chemical industry,

(dd) also of the plan for the electrification of the RSFSR,

(ee) has visited not less than 1–3 times an electric power station, a factory, a state farm,

(ff) knows such-and-such fundamentals of agronomy, etc.

Work out the minimum of knowledge in detail.

(Grinko, apparently, has overdone it to the point of stupidity, denying polytechnical education (perhaps partly O. Yu. Schmidt as well).{102} Correct this.)

Written at the end of 1920.

First published in 1929 in the journal “Na Putyakh k Novoi Shkole” No. 2

Printed from the manuscript.