During the years of Soviet power our country has achieved enormous success in the development of public education. More than half of the working population has a higher or secondary education. Around 70,000,000 persons are engaged in various forms of study, including more than 47,000,000 students who study in the general education schools. The Soviet state annually appropriates large sums from the state budget for the development of public education. At the present time about one-half of all appropriations for education are expended on the current upkeep (excluding expenditures for capital construction, repair, and the acquisition of equipment) of the institutions of public education. During the Seven-Year Plan period these expenditures more than doubled, and a sum of 8,303,000,000 rubles is provided in the budget for 1966.