The history of organizing physical training classes at Tomsk State University in 1920s

After the end of the Civil War the students represented anon-uniform social mass. It is known that Soviet power headed for proletarianization of the higher school though in 1920 no basicchanges in the social structure of students occurred. Even after the change of the rules of students enrollment in 1925/26 academicyear workers and peasants made only 32% of the total number of students enlisted in Tomsk State University (TSU). With theintroduction of preconscription military training in 1927 by the order of the Head of the Military and Sanitary Department of theSiberian military district of December 3, 1926 it was recommended to carry out medical examination of TSU students. On February1-5, 1927 a special medical commission examined a part of TSU first- and third-year students of Physical-Mathematical andMedical Faculties, prospective preconscription trainees. At the same time anthropometrical materials were collected. The resultsrevealed an unsatisfactory physical state of the overwhelming part of students. In whole, all over the USSR the average percent ofstudents fit for military service fluctuated within 60%. The Soviet state was also disturbed by the state of physical development ofyoung men including students. The National Committee of Education of RSFSR took a number o measures directed at improvingstudents financial position, regulating their life and study conditions, as well as medical aid rendered to them. Among the offeredmeasures there was an introduction of obligatory physical culture training. At the TSU board meeting of December 30, 1928,N.N. Bijazi's report was discussed on the introduction of physical training at the university. The program recommended for theuniversity stipulated general physical development and training of students. Physical training had to include, first of all, morninghygienic exercises consisting of 15-minutes daily gymnastics. The basic educational work on physical training consisted of 1-hourclasses twice a week. Students' attendance, as well as achievements in physical culture, was controlled. Optional work includedclasses, competitions, excursions, walks, and so on, provided by the annual plan of extra-curriculum work. Physical training classesin TSU started in the second semester of 1928/29 academic year. As the National Committee of Education had not allocated thenecessary means for their carrying out they were introduced only for the first-year students of both faculties - Medical and Physical-Mathematical. The subject commission on physical culture included I.M. Bulaev, teachers of physical culture, a representative of thestudents' sports circle and a student representative of their number. The classes were conducted in accordance with the syllabus withspecifications sent from higher schools managing department. In the course of accessing students to regular physical training andsports special attention was paid to the work of sports circles and sections. The initiative of creating a sports circle belonged to thestudents' trade union. As far back as the spring of 1927 the first sports base opened in students' hostel 7, in Belynsky Street. Thus,since the second semester of 1928/29 academic year physical training classes were gradually introduced into the TSU educationalprocess. They were aimed at the promotion of improving students' health in the course of training specialists. They played animportant role in preconscription military training of the future defenders of the Homeland. Physical training became a component ofthe curriculum of all TSU faculties. At the end of 1930 the physical training chair opened in the university.

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