EDUCATION AND THE ELIMINATION OF WOMEN'S ILLITERACY IN KYRGYZSTAN DURING THE SOVIET PERIOD

Abstract

This article examines in detail the formation of the Soviet system of education and upbringing, as well as its impact on social and societal transformations. After the establishment of Soviet power, the primary goal was to raise the younger generation as citizens devoted to society, collectivist in nature, and oriented toward socialist values. To achieve this aim, the state undertook measures such as eradicating illiteracy, creating educational institutions, and introducing a new policy of upbringing. Special emphasis was placed on raising women’s educational levels and ensuring their active participation in public life and the productive sphere, which was regarded as one of the central ideological priorities. Statistical data show that between 1897 and 1970 women’s literacy rates rose to nearly complete coverage, while the number of women with higher education increased significantly. As a result, the educated mother came to be regarded as an ideological force of socialist society and a key figure in raising the new generation. Soviet educational policy is thus viewed as a product of historical transformations aimed at strengthening social unity, fostering Soviet patriotism, and consolidating the principles of equality.