The memory of the tragic events of the Great Patriotic War lives in each of us. The horrors of war touched every family, every village and city in our country. Even far from the front, deep in the rear, its consequences were felt - hunger, devastation, enormous human losses. That is why, in the realities of today, it is very important to preserve the memory of the events of the hard times of war, so that the tragedy does not repeat itself.

Today, in all educational institutions of Belarus for students in grades 1–11, a unity lesson “Ola - the sister of Khatyn” takes place. It is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the tragedy in the Belarusian village.

The children will learn about the genocide of the Belarusian people, about the tragedy of the burned villages.

The history of the village of Ola is similar to the history of Khatyn and 1,758 people died there, including 950 children, 508 women, 100 men and 200 old people.

The content of the lesson was developed by the National Institute of Education.

Carrying out the task “Bells of Ola”, first-graders will draw bells in memory of the dead residents of Ola, and students of 2nd – 4th grades will write about the feelings that arose after the virtual excursion on pre-prepared models of bells, expressing them in one word or sentence. Students in grades 5–8 will work with a map of burned villages on the territory of Belarus (based on the materials of the criminal case about the genocide of the Belarusian people) and they will determine which villages were destroyed in their region. Children in grades 10 and 11 will be asked to come up with a “Symbol of Memory and Sorrow”, and also to mark with this symbol on the map of their region the places of mass deaths (villages, concentration camps, places of mass executions) during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.

Alexander Matyushonok, deputy head of the main department of educational work and youth policy - head of the department of social, educational and ideological work of the Ministry of Education, met with students of the capital's gymnasium No. 38.

It is noted that the Ministry of Education has developed a series of unity lessons dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War.

“Ola is the 12 Khatyns, the tragedy and pain of the entire nation. We need to convey information about the genocide of the Belarusian people so as not to make the mistakes that were made in the past. It is important to know the history of your country. Patriotism and love for the Motherland begin in childhood. And today we all need to value peace, respect national heritage, carefully preserve and transmit to younger generations reliable information about the tragic and heroic events of the Second World War,” emphasized Alexander Matyushonok.

The meeting place was not chosen by chance. On September 5, 2022, the grand opening of the museum exhibition “Memory and Time” took place at the gymnasium. The museum's exhibitions are based on information about the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the genocide of the Belarusian people, the partisan and underground movement on the territory of our country. A separate exhibition is dedicated to the war in Afghanistan.

The main objective of the exhibition is to convey to the younger generation reliable information about the essence of Nazism and fascism, about the heinous crimes that were committed by the occupiers and their accomplices on the territory of Belarus.

This is where excursions and lessons of courage take place.