Centre for Civic Education (CCE) submitted today to the Ministry of Education an Initiative for the improvement of teaching process related to the topic of anti-fascism and anti-fascist heritage to prevent the spread of non-institutional and anti-fascism unscientific disclaimer .
Upon the information that the police discovered the perpetrator of this act of vandalism within an effective action, the CCE expresses special concern over the fact that the perpetrator is a very young man who went through the key educational phases and that he does not have adequate knowledge about the importance of anti-fascism.
The CCE already previously pointed out the inadequacies of the educational system when it comes to teaching about anti-fascism, as well as to the lack of clear and effective state policy in promoting anti-fascist heritage. This results in a low level of knowledge about the principles of anti-fascism, anti-fascist struggle and anti-fascist heritage amongst young people. For example, the findings of ours research, conducted within student population at the end of 2017, indicated that more than half of the students of the University of Donja Gorica (53.3%) and more than third of the students of the Law Faculty of the University of Montenegro (36%) did not know what happened on 13 July 1941, i.e. why on that day Montenegro celebrates one of the most important national holidays.
Also, it is a more obvious representation of unscientific revisionist view of events related to the period during and after the Second World War through non-institutional sources of knowledge about this period, which includes family, media, religious organizations, social media, etc.
The CCE considers that it is necessary to thoroughly a thorough assess all challenges which the curriculum, teaching materials and methodology, have in teaching about anti-fascism. We also urge the authorities to carry out, as soon as possible, comprehensive analysis of the challenges of teaching anti-fascism at the national level, as well as to consider local specifics and inclusion of numerous actors in society, to substantially and effectively improve education on anti-fascism.
Along with the Initiative, we proposed a general set of measures that we hope will complete the teaching process on the topic of anti-fascism both in content and methodology and influence suppression of negative trends that have begun to manifest dangerously in our society. We also offered our expert support.
If there is no timely reaction of the competent authorities, this important chapter of our history and the entire anti-fascist heritage is threatened to become controversial for the citizens of Montenegro and thus to lead to a broader disclaim of anti-fascism as the fundamental value of Montenegro. Hence, it is equally important that, in addition to detecting and sanctioning perpetrators of this desecration of a monument, educational authorities undertake activities that will prevent similar unpleasant incidents and establish a culture of nurturing anti-fascist ideals and commemorating anti-fascist heroes.
Miloš Vukanović, advisor