Anti-Leninst Education Reforms
12/24/1958
These are comprehensive Education reforms under Khrushchev which, in the context of the Transnistria Conflict, deemed it necessary for pupils to study their native language, Russian, and another foreign language at once. Thus non-Russian parents were allowed to send their children to Russian-language schools, or whichever other language school they preferred.
More information Here
Quote included from the 19th Thesis on education reforms cited in "The Soviet Education Laws of 1958-9 and Soviet Nationality Policy" by Yaroslav Bilinsky:
"We must note that in the area of language study in the schools of the Union and autonomous republics children are considerably overloaded. It is a fact that in the nationality schools (i.e. non-Russian schools-Y.B.) children study three languages-their native tongue, Russian, and one of the foreign languages. (Not always: see below-Y.B.) The question ought to be considered of giving parents the right to send their children to a school where the language of their choice is used. If a child attends a school where instruction is conducted in the language of one of the Union or autonomous republics, he may, if he wishes, take up the Russian language. And vice versa, if a child attends a Russian school, he may, if he so desires, study the language of one of the Union or autonomous republics. To be sure, this step could only be taken if there is a sufficient number of children to form classes for instruction in a given language. To grant parents the right to decide what language a child should study as a compulsory subject would be a most democratic procedure. It would eliminate arbitrary decisions in this important matter and would make possible the terminaion of the practice of overloading children with language study. Permission should be granted not to include a foreign language among the required subjects in schools where appropriate conditions do not exist."
More of the official laws passed on 12/24/1958:
https://www.libussr.ru/doc_ussr/usr_5337.htm
