ECONOMICS

WORKERS' A.

EDUCATION

IN ECONOMICS

I. SagaIevich

UDC 666.76.003.1

The teaching of e c o n o m i c s to w o r k e r s is acquiring i n c r e a s i n g i m p o r t a n c e in light of p r e s e n t - d a y c i r c u m s t a n c e s , i.e., the constantly i n c r e a s i n g s c a l e of production, r a p i d changes in techniques and t e c h nologies, and the n e c e s s i t y of i n c r e a s i n g production efficiency by making use of all r e s e r v e s , i n c r e a s i n g output, and i m p r o v i n g p r o d u c t quality while at the s a m e t i m e reducing outlays on m a t e r i a l s and l a b o r . During t h e p e r i o d e l a p s e d since the publication of the r e s o l u t i o n of the C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y of the Soviet Union "On I m p r o v i n g the Economic Education of the W o r k e r s " the plant has achieved m u c h in the field of organizing instruction in economics and r a i s i n g the level of the studies. A f i v e - y e a r plan was put into effect for teaching e c o n o m i c s to m a n a g e r s , e n g i n e e r s , technicians, manual, and other w o r k e r s o The c u r r i c u l u m c o m p r i s e s s e v e r a l f o r m s of study. M i d d l e - m a n a g e m e n t w o r k e r s a r e i n s t r u c t e d in the " P r i n c i p l e s of Production E c o n o m i c s and Control." Other w o r k e r s , i.e., the l a r g e s t group of students in this field, attend l e c t u r e s and schools of c o m m u n i s t l a b o r where the s u b j e c t s a r e " F u n d a m e n t a l s of Economic Sciences" and " S o c i a l i s m and Labor." During the a c a d e m i c y e a r 1974-1975, a total of 209 w o r k e r s of the plant finished the c o u r s e on ~ Fundamentals of E c o nomic Sciences." During the f i r s t y e a r of the p r o g r a m 149 w o r k e r s attended the school of c o m m u n i s t l a b o r and 275 w o r k e r s the school of economic s c i e n c e s . A t h i r t y - h o u r c o u r s e on " P r i n c i p l e s of the E c o n o m i c s of L a b o r and Production" is designed for w o r k e r s newly a r r i v e d at the plant. The l e c t u r e s a r e o r g a n i z e d and the studies s u p e r v i s e d b y a council for the teaching of e c o n o m i c s to w o r k e r s . The council has 11 m e m b e r s , among t h e m i n s t r u c t o r s , m e m b e r s of the economics d e p a r t m e n t s , and r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the t r a d e union c o m m i t t e e of the plant. The council is c h a i r e d by the chief engineer of the plant and p r e p a r e s a c u r r i c u l u m of studies once each y e a r . Organizational points and questions r e l a t i n g to r e n d e r i n g a s s i s t a n c e in the studies a r e d i s c u s s e d at the monthly s e s s i o n s . The l e a d e r s of the schools of economic s c i e n c e s and c o m m u n i s t labor a r e chosen f r o m engineers and technicians who have undergone advanced training in e c o n o m i c s . The i n s t r u c t o r s r e c e i v e c o n s i d e r a b l e help f r o m the s e m i n a r s which a r e held monthly in the r o o m s of the Regional P a r t y C o m m i t t e e . All i n s t r u c t o r s r e c e i v e c o n s i d e r a b l e help f r o m the s e m i n a r s which a r e held monthly in the r o o m s of the Regional P a r t y C o m m i t t e e . All i n s t r u c t o r s w e r e t r a i n e d at these s e m i n a r s . W o r k e r s of the t e c h n i c a l - s t u d i e s s e c t o r and m e m b e r s of the economic c o m m i t t e e attend the l e c t u r e s in o r d e r to offer p r o c e d u r a l a s s i s t a n c e and help to control the quality of teaching. Of c o n s i d e r a b l e help in the e c o n o m i c studies a r e the monthly r e p o r t s on the p e r f o r m a n c e of the plant which the plant d i r e c t o r p r e s e n t s at m e e t i n g s with the e n g i n e e r s and t e c h n i c i a n s . The c o u r s e s a r e run with good s u c c e s s by the chief of the planning section L. N. Usacheva, m a n a g e r of the capital c o n s t r u c t i o n d e p a r t m e n t V. P . Koshevaya, chief r a t e s e t t e r of the dinas division A. V. Shvalova, e c o n o m i s t of the m a i n t e n a n c e and t o o l r o o m sections T. I. Zakutneva, m a n a g e r of the d e p a r t m e n t for controI and m e a s u r i n g i n s t r u m e n t s K. M. Ilyushchenko, and o t h e r s . In d e s c r i b i n g the study m a t e r i a l the i n s t r u c t o r s r e l a t e economic t h e o r y to the p r a c t i c a l w o r k and t a s k s of the p e r s o n n e l of the production sections and d e p a r t m e n t s of the plant. In the c o u r s e s on " F u n d a m e n t a l s of E c o n o m i c Sciences" and " P r i n c i p l e s of Production E c o n o m i c s and Control" use is made of T r a n s l a t e d f r o m Ogneupory, No. 2, pp. 10-12, F e b r u a r y , 1976.

9 76 Plenum Publishing Corporation, 22 7 West 17th Street, New York, N. Y. 10011. No part o f this publication may be reproduced, [ stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming; recording or otherwise, without written permission o f the publisher. A copy o f this article is available from the publisher for $15.00.

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f i l m e d m a t e r i a l , tape r e c o r d i n g s , p o s t e r s , etc. Extensive use of technical m e a n s of i n s t r u c t i o n andteaehing aids help to i m p a r t economic knowledge to the students. T h e r e a r e o v e r 2500 books and other publications oa economics in the scientific and technical l i b r a r y of the plant. To f o s t e r i n t e r e s t in e c o n o m i c s the l i b r a r y p r e p a r e s c a r d indexes on economic subjects, p r e p a r e s selections on given t h e m e s , and conducts an exhibition under the slogan " E c o n o m i c Knowledge for the M a s s e s . " The studies in this s y s t e m of teaching economies a r e p u r s u e d against a background of intensive l a b o r and social activity in the drive for the s u c c e s s f u l i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of the Resolutions of the 24th C o n g r e s s of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y of the Soviet Union. The contents and objectives of the study of economics flowed d i r e c t l y f r o m the r e s o l u t i o n s of the C e n t r a l Comittee of the P a r t y , C o m r a d e L. I. B r e z h n e v ' s speeches, the Appeal of the Central C o m m i t t e e of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y of the Soviet Union to P a r t y m e m b e r s and the Soviet people as a whole, and the p r o n o u n c e m e n t s of the C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y of the Soviet Union, the Council of M i n i s t e r s of the USSR, the All-Union Central T r a d e Union Council, and the C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e of the All-Union Lenin Young C o m m u n i s t League on the All-Union s o c i a l i s t c o m p e tition of industrial, construction, and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n w o r k e r s for the fulfillment of the national economy plans ahead of the t a r g e t date. The technical training section contains a r o o m devoted to economics in which displays publicize " T h e F i v e - Y e a r Plan of the Plant," " T h e R e f r a c t o r i e s Industry in the Ninth F i v e - Y e a r Plan," and "Ways of I n c r e a s i n g L a b o r Productivity." W o r k e r s with a knowledge of e c o n o m i c s take a m o r e active p a r t in the drive for g r e a t e r production efficiency and in the w o r k of efficiency e x p e r t s and i n v e n t o r s . E v e r y third w o r k e r at the plant is now p a r ticipating in the drive for e x p e r t i s e in efficiency. A l a r g e n u m b e r of the w o r k e r s attending the school of e c o n o m i c s and the school of c o m m u n i s t l a b o r have acquired a second t r a d e . All these developments help to i m p r o v e w o r k organization, labor productivity, and production efficiency. P o s s e s s i o n of economic knowledge enables the w o r k e r s to organize the s o c i a l i s t competition m o r e effectively. A total of 86.9% of the w o r k e r s of the plant a r e working towards the right to be called Shockw o r k e r of C o m m u n i s t L a b o r and 1428 have a l r e a d y acquired that honorable status while five production sections, 10 shifts, and 21 t e a m s have been awarded the status of C o m m u n i s t L a b o r P e r s o n n e l . A competition under the slogan "25 Stakhanovite 10-Hour Shifts for the 25th C o n g r e s s of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y " was initiated by a w o r k e r called D. T. Koltunnik. The i n s t r u c t o r s of the K r a s n o g o r o v s k Plant support the initiative of the w o r k e r s of the V l a d i m i r I I ' i c h E l e c t r i c a l Engineering Plant in Moscow who i s s u e d a r e q u e s t that studying w o r k e r s be helped to p r e p a r e their own p e r s o n a l production p l a n s . The p r o c e d u r e for drawing up these counterplans is e x plained at the l e c t u r e s in the schools of c o m m u n i s t l a b o r and economic s c i e n c e s . Many i n s t r u c t o r s p r e p a r e t h e i r own c r e a t i v e plans and help t h e i r students to draw up e c o n o m i c a l l y sound s o c i a l i s t c o m m i t m e n t s and p e r s o n a l plans for an i n c r e a s e in labor productivity in which, a p a r t f r o m the t a r g e t date and level of fulfillment of the r e l e v a n t t a s k s , the ways a r e defined of achieving the planned indices and the specific t a s k s a i m e d at i m p r o v i n g product quality and saving m a t e r i a l r e s o u r c e s a r e stated. O v e r 1000 w o r k e r s of the plant p r e p a r e d p e r s o n a l production plans and c o m p e t e d in the fulfillment of the f i v e - y e a r plan ahead of the t a r g e t date. A total of 210 w o r k e r s and 25 t e a m s r e a c h e d the t a r g e t s of the f i v e - y e a r plan in four y e a r s . T h r e e t e a m s and 45 individual w o r k e r s a r e a l r e a d y producing f o r the 1977 accounts. W o r k e r s attending the school of e c o n o m i c s have achieved significant s u c c e s s e s at work: I. N. Bogaeh, a p r e s s o p e r a t o r in the dinas division, c o m p l e t e d the t a s k s s e t for the Ninth F i v e - Y e a r P l a n in J a n u a r y , 1974; p r e s s o p e r a t o r N. F. P a v l o v a achieved the s a m e r e s u l t in D e c e m b e r , 1974; and M. D. Prudnikova, a p r e s s o p e r a t o r in No. 1 chamotte section, in F e b r u a r y , 1975. The s y s t e m of economic studies has b e e n s u c c e s s f u l to a c e r t a i n extent but it is not without its s h o r t c o m i n g s . M e a s u r e s a r e now being put into effect in a c c o r d a n c e with a plan for i m p r o v i n g the f o r m and methods of teaching e c o n o m i c s which will help the p e r s o n n e l of the plant to achieve a f u r t h e r growth in l a b o r and social activity, to r e a c h the production t a r g e t s ahead of schedule, and to m e e t the 25th C o n g r e s s of the C o m m u n i s t P a r t y of the Soviet Union in a fitting m a n n e r .

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