Andrei Ivanets: “Preservation of historical memory is the constitutional responsibility of every Belarusian”
Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum, 23 December. Preservation of historical memory is the constitutional responsibility of every Belarusian. Andrei Ivanets said in his interview to journalists following a sitting of the Commission on Scientific and Methodological support of Historical Policy. It is symbolic that it took place in the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum. Participants discussed new textbook for 11 graders: “Belarusian history in context of the world history”.
“Today we discussed a very important textbook for 11 graders that covers one of the most significant periods of Belarusian statehood’s formation on our soil during the 20th and 21st centuries. We are ready to give a comprehensive answer to those questions and challenges of the historical truth which, perhaps have not been presented that well in the books we used back then” said Andrei Ivanets.
This new textbook will provide a deep coverage of the unification of Belarusian people in 1939. “This is one of the most significant events in the formation of our country. Of course the book will cover the issues of genocide of the Belarusians during GPW as well as partisan and underground movement. It is very important to tell the historical truth about GPW to our kids. Formation of sovereign Belarus is to be discussed as well as historical choice of the Belarusian people, presidential republic, color revolutions, 1994 and 1995 referendums and of other years, the ones that were almost historical choices of our people in the course of a small 30-year period of our sovereign country’s formation. Also, 2020 events will receive deep coverage and strict asses as well”. Added Andrei Ivanets.
Following the end of the commission’s sitting there was a sum up event of the “Discover Belarus” competition initiated by the Republican council on historical policy subordinate to the Presidential Administration. In total, 3 thousand video materials about important and in some cases undiscovered events of our history were submitted. Each video shows the main idea “I’ve discovered for myself… (smth) and want to share”.
The republican stage of the competition had 42 videos from 55 student authors. Today was the awarding ceremony for the best of the best. The videos are soon to be posted on the national education portal, on websites of education establishments as well as education departments of oblast, city and regional executive committees.