SOCIALIST EDUCATION: ORIGIN, CHARACTERISTICS, PRINCIPLES, EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The socialist education is an education system that is structured and based on socialist doctrines, which suggest that both the social organization and the means of production of a nation should be in the public domain and controlled by a central body with the aim of achieve the collective welfare of a society.

Consequently, socialist systems defend social or collective ownership of the means of production and reject any form of private property. In other words, socialism is the antithesis of capitalism, which is a system based on the free market and the privatization of resources.

Socialist education is an educational system that is based on socialist doctrines. Source: pixabay.com

The author José Carlos Mariátegui, in his text Education in capitalism and socialism (2017), established that education is a process of integral formation of the human being, which seeks to develop the moral, physical and artistic capacities of each individual in a given social, economic and political context.

According to this author, education can follow two main aspects: one governed by the capitalist approach and the other based on socialist precepts. In the first case, capitalist education tries to build societies subordinate to the market and consumerism, while socialist education is focused on the marginalized classes and the equal distribution of resources.

Similarly, Mariátegui affirmed that education within the capitalist powers is directed towards a specific group of people, specifically towards the privileged classes of societies; on the other hand, socialist education tries to be more inclusive and seeks to make individuals aware of the class difference, the history of the marginalized and the alienation produced by work.

Socialism, like its upbringing, has received strong criticism from various thinkers. For example, Jan Doxrud, in her text Why will socialism never work? (2017) established that the socialist system is utopian, since a central public body will never be able to effectively control the economy and education of an entire country.

Likewise, other authors affirm that the socialist educational system feeds the resentment of the masses and can lead to the induction of a totalitarian government. However, thinkers who defend a mediating position affirm that both educational systems -the socialist and the capitalist- are very complex and have flanks in their structure.

Origin

Origin of socialism

Socialism is a philosophical trend that has had a notable influence on contemporary education. Some authors affirm that it is a branch of naturalism, since socialism considers the human being as a product of nature, however, it adapts this point of view to the needs of social life.

In turn, certain thinkers affirm that socialism was born as a reaction to selfishness and disorder posed by authors such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), who argued that the individual builds social life through a contract, therefore, It is located in a higher ladder than that of society.

In the case of socialism, it proposes the opposite; both life in common and life in society have privilege over the individual. Consequently, the individual character of men is subordinate to the desires and objectives of the social group.

Some claim that socialism was remarkably nourished by the values ​​of the Enlightenment, however, this philosophical current appeared for two main causes: the Industrial Revolution -which brought as a consequence a procession of misfortunes for the proletariat- and the development of the political economy as science.

Introduction of socialism in education

Although socialism was already being studied by important thinkers such as Saint Simon (1760-1825) since the 18th century, socialist education began to be taught as such from the 20th century, when the system was established in the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it was also introduced to other regions such as Cuba, China, and Mexico in subsequent decades.

characteristics

Socialist education has the following characteristics:

- It is a secular education, which means that it does not teach religion classes. Educational institutions can offer religious guidance, but this cannot be compulsory.

For example, in countries such as Spain and Portugal, the student who does not want to attend religion classes has the option of changing that subject for a similar subject such as Ethics. However, in more radical cases of socialism, religion is completely eradicated from the educational system.

- Socialist education is directed and organized by the State, along with the rest of the main public services. This with the aim of avoiding that privileged education is only for the wealthy classes, while the poor classes receive a deficient education.

- Another characteristic of socialist education is that its approach is pragmatic, experimental and questioning, however, it is combined with job development; this in order to achieve social equity.

- Socialist education maintains that the school must be a living and active entity, defining itself as "a community of workers" in contrast to the traditional school, which seeks to prepare man in his individual character for temporal life.

Beginning

The collective character is superior to the individual character of man

One of the principles of socialist education is the importance given to the collective and the community. Hence, this education diminishes the relevance of the individual and focuses on human conglomerates.

This happens because socialism considers that social life conditions all spheres of the human being, therefore, man has to fulfill a series of duties related to charity and social justice.

Equal studies, eradication of social classes and equitable distribution of wealth

In socialist schools, students are taught equally, which means that everyone should receive equal treatment and the same levels of study regardless of their economic status. The objective of this idea is to train citizens who contribute to collective development and not only dedicate themselves to accumulating individual wealth and benefits.

Students are instructed equally; everyone should be treated fairly regardless of their financial status. Source: pixabay.com

Centralized education and controlled by the State

Socialist education is centralized because it is controlled and directed by a single power, this being generally the State. This power must be committed to safeguarding the interests of the collective and verifying that all institutions are managed equitably.

Examples

Socialist education in Mexico (1930)

In 1930, an educational reform was carried out in Mexico with the aim of integrating the indigenous and building a national identity. However, Daniar Chávez Jiménez, in his text The Socialist School of the 1930s and the Interculturality Processes of the XXI Century (2015), established that this attempt at socialist reform failed due to the decisions made by President Manuel Ávila Camacho.

In addition, the reform was also affected by the reaction of the conservative sectors and the Church, who opposed a liberal and more inclusive education. Although it could not meet its objectives, this reform proposed that Mexican schools fulfill a strictly social function that distances itself from religious ideas and focuses on the most backward and rural areas of Mexico.

Educational system in Cuba

The educational system in Cuba has distinguished itself over the years for its high quality, since it has very prestigious universities. After the 1959 Revolution, the State nationalized all educational institutions and built a system that can only be operated by the government.

According to the report made by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, the Cuban educational system has an ideological orientation of a socialist and Marxist nature, in accordance with the current constitution of 1976.

In 1959, the Comprehensive Teaching Reform was carried out, whose objective was to educate and build the development of Cubans as human beings. According to records, 10,000 classrooms were built during that period and enrollment increased by 90%.

However, some authors affirm that, despite the accessibility of Cuban education, it is used to indoctrinate citizens and to force the political ideology of the government.

Socialist education in the Soviet Union

One of the main characteristics of education in the Soviet Union is that it was managed by a highly centralized state. Likewise, the government guaranteed full access to both primary and secondary education for all citizens. In some cases, it also guaranteed employment after completing studies.

However, the success of this system depended on a complete dedication on the part of the citizens to the Soviet state after having been instructed in different disciplines such as natural sciences, life sciences, engineering and social sciences.

Socialist education began to be implemented in the Soviet Union after Vladimir Lenin took power in 1917, however, it had its variations in the course of its history due to a series of ideological changes that took place during its existence.

References

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