"Russia in Need of Technical Schools and Trained Engineers," Soviet Engineering Students Studying at Harvard Declare

"Russia has much to learn from the United States about engineering," declared Feodor Nisoff, special Russian student, who has been sent with four other men by the Russian government to study at the Engineering School for two years. "Although there are many excellent technical schools in Russia at present, they lack the apparatus which is so necessary for laboratory work and tests. there will be many more five year plans before Russia will be able to install its own machinery, and consequently be able to teach itself."

Continuing, Nisoff explained how the director and council of all the technical schools or universities, as they are called in Russia, had selected the best students, 28 of whom were sent by the supreme council or Soviet to study at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Whether or not another group will be sent over next year depends entirely upon how successful these men are. In the past Russia has sent for American engineers to come over to act as foremen, and although the Americans mix with the Russians, they do not live under the same conditions. Russian workmen supervised by Russians will now be the aim of the government, and as soon as the 28 men now here return, they will immediately be given engineering jobs in Russian factories and mines much as they would have, had they been to a Russian university.

All universities, Nisoff explained, whether technical, medical or any other corresponding to our graduate schools have a five year course, but the seminars and lectures are regularly discontinued every three months in order to give the students a chance to work in the factories.

Factories in Russia are working all day, all week and all years, except on May Day, October 7 and Lonin Day. Each worker is in the factory 8 hours every day but on different shifts each week, and every man gets a day off every five days. All rate of production is regulated by the government.