Dyscyplina pracy i nauki na przykładzie studentów polskich wydziałów lekarskich na przełomie lat 40 i 50.

Dyscyplina pracy i nauki na przykładzie studentów polskich wydziałów lekarskich na przełomie lat 40 i 50.

Discipline of working and learning on the example of Polish medical department students at the turn of 1940s and in the early 1950s.

Magdalena Paciorek

The discipline of learning phenomenon was nothing new in the modern system of education. The purpose of maintaining discipline was subordinating young people to some rules in force. It also served the aim of forming them. Discipline in tertiary education in 20th century was regulated by separate regulations included in subsequent Acts of 1933 and 1937. Typical punishable offences were for example fraud, theft, acts of drunkenness, hooliganism. A person accused of committing them could be punished by admonition or reprimand of varying degrees, to expelling from the university. The punishment was inflicted by disciplinary commissions consisting of selected teaching staff members.
In the post-WWII period, the issue of discipline of learning in tertiary education got a new dimension. The nature of disciplinary commissions was changed already in 1947, and starting from 1950, the scope of offences was broadened with such offences as lack of progress in studying, coming late or skipping lectures or classes, as well as adopting the attitude 'unworthy of a student in Polish People's Republic'.
In the 1950s, discipline of learning and working became an element of the state policy. The state was striving to implement its first 6-year economic plan for the years 1950-1955, which assumed educating 146,000 graduates from tertiary education , among other things. Growth of production output in all industrial sectors – pompously advertised and promoted at that time – required also proper productive forces. Creation of optimal conditions for studying became one of the main challenges faced by the then state authorities, as this was seen a precondition for achieving planned results and, for example, have set down number of fully trained doctors who could work at foreseen in advance positions. Thus, the state intended to secure the students free education, scholarships, and improve their living conditions. In return, students were expected to obey discipline, that is subordinate to all orders and bans and first of all to complete their studies in due time.
The article presents the development of legislature aimed at achieving the planned outcome, in chronological order. At the example of the medical students environment, the mechanisms of the above-described policy were presented. But was this policy effective?
The Author based her article not only on the press sources but first of all she studied archival documents, for example coming from archives of medical universities or The Central Archives of Modern Records (AAN) in Warsaw.

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