Several dozen Polish and Hungarian historians have signed a joint position criticizing the planned changes in the curriculum of primary schools in Poland, which concern the history of Polish-Hungarian relations.
These are proposals for changes to the core curriculum for primary schools in Poland in the field of history, which were subject to preliminary consultation by the Ministry of National Education (MEN) on February 12.
In the position paper of the Hungarian-Polish Historical Commission of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, sent to PAP on Tuesday, it was written that the draft changes proposed by the Ministry of National Education “in three places inappropriately harm Polish-Hungarian historical relations to approach.”
We are talking about changes in the core curriculum for primary schools regarding Polish-Hungarian relations in the 14th and 15th centuries, the reign of Stefan Batory and the anti-communist uprising in Hungary in 1956.
The changes proposed by the Ministry of Education have a very significant impact on Polish-Hungarian relations
–Dr. Miklos Mitrovits, Polish teacher and historian, secretary of the Polish-Hungarian Commission, told PAP.
We decided that we had to speak out on this issue and put forward our position
– added.
The proposals for the new core curriculum for general education for grades 5 to 8 of primary school include the need for students to have knowledge of “the situation in the Soviet Union and the countries within its sphere of influence, including the events in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia. 1968.”
In return, students should be able to “characterize the USSR’s policies toward the Eastern Bloc countries using the example of military interventions in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.”
According to Mitrovits, it is a difficult to accept change in perspective in education about the anti-Soviet uprising in Hungary in 1956.
The new program will of course continue to talk about the Hungarian uprising, but in a different context
– notes the historian.
There will be no discussion about what happened in Hungary, about Polish-Hungarian solidarity during and after the revolution, but about the policies of the Soviet Union
– he adds.
According to him, it is necessary at this time to teach about the Kremlin’s policies, but that is not the whole story.
More important is what happened in Poland and Hungary at the time and how the events in these countries were connected.
– says Mitrovits.
“The new project is completely against the spirit of traditional Polish-Hungarian friendship and sympathy.
As the signatories emphasize, they do not question the right of the Ministry of National Education to implement changes, but express serious concerns about the project proposed by the ministry.
The new project is completely contrary to the spirit of traditional Polish-Hungarian friendship and sympathy, but also to the objectives of historical education as set out in the amended text
– wrote in the statement. Historians emphasize that “Polish-Hungarian historical relations are crucial not only for understanding the history of our nations, but also for the history of our entire region.”
The position was signed by 32 Hungarian and the same number of Polish historians, including: Prof. Andrzej Nowak, Prof. Marek Kornat, Director of the Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Maciej Janowski, Prof. Tomasz Pudlocki, Ph. D. Tadeusz Kopyś, former Polish Ambassador to Budapest Jerzy Snopek and former President of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), Dr. Łukasz Kamiński.
The initiative to present the position of Polish and Hungarian historians on the planned program changes came from the Hungarian side. The text of the position was also submitted to the Polish Embassy in Budapest.
tkwl/PAP
READ ALSO: The Flood and Nowacka’s Nervous Response. “What year was it? We don’t ask questions about history. Sorry”. Internet users: “I know, but I won’t tell?”
Source: wPolityce