COURSES FOR ANALPHABETS IN LESKOVAC AND SURROUNDINGS BETWEEN 1945 AND 1950

Abstract

Following the Second World War, the District of Leskovac encompassed the city of Leskovac, Vlasotince, Jablanica and Pusta Reka counties (which was incorporated into Jablanica County). This area in particular had a tradition of high degree of illiteracy: according to the census of population from 1931, the County of Leskovac had 64.1%, Vlasotince 70.5% and Jablanica 74.5% of illiterates, while the entire country had 44.6% of illiterates. New communist government had developed ambitious plans for quick and efficient “elimination”of illiteracy after the Second World War, in order to raise the cultural and educational degree of the population and capacitate a number of citizens for participation in economic aspects of life and make them suitable for written propaganda of the communist party. In order to implement such a plan, courses for analphabets which literate the population older than 10 years were organized in the city of Leskovac and its surrounding starting from the end of 1944, and especially in 1945. The courses were organized by the republic and local educational authorities, and the realization of courses was conducted by teachers and mass on-site organizations, such as campaigns, pressure trough propaganda, competitions and detailed monitoring of the results and imperfections. Newspaper “Naša reč” published detailed reports on organization, activities and problems of courses for analphabets in the District of Leskovac. However, the census of population from 1948 has pointed out that the rapid “elimination” of illiteracy was impossible through such activities. A number of illiterate individuals were still present (although reduced to a half compared to 1931 census), the records were not correct and new illiterate individuals were recorded due to a lesser degree of education. Therefore, the politics of literacy trough courses for analphabets were abandoned in the beginning of the 50’s, as new means for overcoming the inherited problem of high percent of illiterate individuals in Leskovac and its surroundings, as well as in the entire country, were sought-after.