The School Health Program in the Soviet Union

Abstract

Following my own advice that "experience is the best teacher," and having a long-time curiosity about the educational system in the Soviet Union, I traveled to Moscow and leningrad visiting a variety of schools as part of an educational seminar. The seminar was sponsored by the Research Center for the Study of Socialist Education at Kent State University, which has been conducting visits to various Soviet educational institutions for the past 20 years or so. During the trip, the educational classes and sightseeing tours were arranged by Intourist, the official Soviet tourist agency. This agency organized visits to classes in nursery, elementary, and secondary schools and the University of Moscow. During the two weeks I was in the Soviet Union, I had conversations with many teachers and students. Some of these people were selected by Intourist and others I met by accident in a variety of places. The information about the educational system and the school health program in this article is based upon my observations, Intourist guides' comments, conversations with English speaking Russians, and several other sources.