Secondary School Graduation: University Entrance Qualification in Socialist Countries [antikvár]

Translator's Notes (i) It has not been considered necessary to make any attempt to effect an English transliteration of Russian names or bibliographical references, given here in consistent continental transliterations. (ii) "Abitur" is the term used in the original to signify not only Abitur, but also Matura, Bacalaureat, etc. To render these awards as "GCE A level" would be grossly misleading, and even "high school graduation" somewhat misleading, since the certificate awarded testifies simultaneously to the completion of an integrated "long" secondary education and the possessor's having reached "maturity" to embark on higher education. I have therefore used the patently exotic "maturity certificate" for all the comparable expressions —Abitur, Hochschulreife, Reifezeugnis, etc. (iii) "Hochschule" is the generic term in German for both universities proper and institutions (which in some of the countries under investigation outnumber universities) of a status explicitly comparable. "Hochschule" and "Hochschulstadium" I have rendered as "higher education", "higher education institutions" or (for variety) "universities etc." The word "university" is used only where the German term "Universität" is used, unambiguously indicating "university proper". (iv) "Einheitlichkeit" means unity, uniformity, integrity and comprehensiveness, all allegedly features of a socialist educational system. No one of these renderings has been adopted consistently, but what seemed the most appropriate one has been used, according to whether the context appeared to stress structure or ideology. vii