«In the struggle for admission, for academic performance, for demanding»: The activity of Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute in the 1960s

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of recruiting students to the Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute in the 1960s. This was an extremely difficult and at the same time interesting period of transformation of the Mining and Metallurgical Institute into a Polytechnic Institute. In order to implement the law «On Strengthening the Connection between School and Life and on the Further Development of the Public Education System in the USSR», the IPI, along with all other universities in the country, had to revise its admissions campaign methods. The article provides information about the reorganization of the Institute's Admissions Committee, the establishment of a permanent staff that handled admissions throughout the year, and the specific challenges faced in working with applicants. It also highlights the growth in the number of IPI employees involved in career guidance activities. The situation was further complicated by the fact that these changes occurred simultaneously with a major reorganization of the entire educational process. New faculties and departments were established. This led to a temporary but excessive workload for the teaching staff. The new admission rules had an impact on the student body. The new priority task for universities, set at the state level, of attracting employees from enterprises to education also caused difficulties. Many of these employees did not have the necessary education and showed a low level of knowledge even at the admission stage. Therefore, the article focuses on identifying the causes of low academic performance among students and addressing this issue. The article also highlights the achievements of the Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute's management in organizing the educational process and developing the creative potential of students.

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