Financing of Preschool Education in Ukraine in 1919–1933: Historical and Legal, Historical and Economic Aspects

Abstract

Historical and legal, historical and economic aspects of the process of formation and development of the system of public preschool education in Ukrainian SSR in 20s – early 30s of the XX century have been analyzed.

It has been proved that the issue of preschool education with the victory of the Soviet government took its place in the general system of education’s development, which the Bolsheviks began to introduce first in the industrial regions in 1919, and then throughout Ukrainian SSR.

The authors have the legal basis of the process of formation and development of the system of public preschool education in Soviet Ukraine in 1919–1933. The upbringing of children from the early age, according to the Program of the party and the decisions of the Soviet government, had to become the complete prerogative of public educational agencies.

The main reasons for the rapid growth in the number of institutions of state and public education of children of preschool age have been analyzed. That process was caused by the economic devastation in Ukraine as a result of the First World and Civil Wars, which doomed more than one million children to starvation. State authorities were forced to make certain commitments to provide food and education for deprived children.

There is a destruction of the old pre-revolutionary pedagogy, which considered preschool education only as a forced measure for working parents and orphans, by giving preference to family upbringing of children at an early stage of life.

It has been proved that the system of legal regulation of financing of public preschool education in Ukrainian SSR at that time has passed three stages of development:

– 1919–1922 – financing of preschool institutions was carried out in a centralized way by monthly allocations from the republican budget, as well as from the budget of central agencies;

– 1923–1927 – financing of preschool institutions was transferred from the republican to local budgets;

– 1928–1933 – attraction of state and local councils’ budgets, funds from trade unions, other institutions and enterprises, parental payment. There was the final consolidation of budgetary sources of maintenance of preschool education system in the legislation.

There was the thesis that the legal consolidation of financing of preschool education in Ukraine should reflect the priority of public importance and state support of this field of educational activity from the standpoint of investing in the future of the state, forming the foundations of a harmonious personality as a prerequisite for successful secondary and later higher education.

It has been emphasized that the financing of preschool education and its legal consolidation should be aimed at stimulating the work of educational and pedagogical staff, attracting highly qualified specialists to this field. Society and the state must realize that this category of professionals have the prerequisites for successful development, prosperity of future generations.