Formation of physical education in the system of public education in Western Siberia in the 1920s

The formation of physical education in the system of public education in Russia refers to the 1920s. It is documentarily proved that in a number of Siberian children's institutions (Tomsk Province) physical education was introduced in 1923. The number of schools and schoolchildren involved into the process of physical education was not large at that moment. The introduction of physical education at educational establishments of Siberia started in 1924/25. In the same year there started a work on organization of physical education of rural schoolchildren. In 1920s Tomsk Province was a leader in involving schoolchildren in physical education. Despite the lack of financing, teachers and material base, the number of schoolchildren athletes was growing fast. In 1927 schools of Siberia of the first stage had 30448 athletes and schools of the second stage 13500. The physical work with Siberian schoolchildren was carried out by teachers without any special education. In the middle of the 1920s in order to help them there was created a new post of instructor-organizer, which was vacant in most localities. The most positive factor in 1928 was that the specialists' training in short courses started including staff for schools of Western Siberia. The programs of physical education composed in the regions were corrected according to the new standards of the Educational Commissariat. The prominent innovator in the sphere of physical education, V.S. Pirusskiy, became the author of numerous programs on physical education. The first programs on physical training teaching at schools of Western Siberia were made in the first half of 1923. Meanwhile the problem of methodological support of Siberian schools was urgent until the end of 1920. The research showed that the all- Russian trend of forming and spreading physical training in the system of education was topical in Western Siberia, too. The Siberian regions faced the problems typical for the whole country: lack of funds and qualified teaching staff. It influenced negatively the quality of work with children. Nevertheless, the subject of physical education introduced into the system of school education in the first half of 1920 was admitted as a compulsory subject. It was proved in the materials of Siberian regions.

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