Formation and Development of Higher Education in Altai Region (1941-1991): The Vicissitudes of the Soviet Trend
The article analyzes the problems of formation and development of higher education in the Altai Region for half a century. The authors note a rather late start of this process in comparison with the neighboring regions of Western Siberia which was caused by the launch of large-scale industrialization of Altai only during the Great Patriotic War. The industrial modernization of the USSR led to the formation of a “catch-up” model of education introduced in the country since the 1930s. Consequently, the process of formation and development of higher education in the Altai Region took place in the framework of this model. The authors identify the three stages of this process. The first stage lasted from 1941 to the beginning of the 1950s, when the network of higher education institutions was going through a difficult process of formation and survival. The second stage began in 1950 and ended in 1970, when the network of higher education institutions expanded rapidly in the sectoral and territorial aspects while building their capacity. The third phase (19801991) includes the stabilization of the system of regional higher education and the exhaustion of the possibilities for any further extensive growth. The statistical analysis of higher education in the Altai Region in the period under review shows the scale and dynamics of the changes taking place. On the basis of the research done, the authors came to the following conclusions: 1) the rigid and centralized management led to the development of the system of regional higher education within a general “catch-up” trend, which was characteristic of the Soviet Union; 2) despite the high growth rates, higher education of the Altai Region still remained on the periphery in Western Siberia, unable to compete with the large centers of higher education on a number of important parameters; 3) the potential of the higher education system, accumulated over the 19601980s, allowed it to survive a systemic crisis in the 1990s and adapt to new historical realities.