Teaching about the events of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia, particularly in Montenegro, is essential for understanding the present and preventing some negative trends in the future. The education system plays a pivotal role in this, as concluded in the two-day training for social studies teachers on teaching about the 1990s, organized by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) on 25 and 26 October in Petrovac.
The training was attended by 27 teachers from various parts of Montenegro, who, alongside historians Miloš Vukanović and Igor Radulović, discussed the 1990s in Montenegro, transitional justice, and the widespread human rights violations that occurred during this period. The training also introduced a teaching manual titled “War Crimes of the 1990s in the Judgments of the Montenegrin Judiciary,” recently published by CCE. A significant portion of the training focused on practical group work, aimed at preparing lesson plans on this topic, providing teachers with ready-to-use scenarios for their classrooms, with the manual and its potential applications serving as the primary resource.
“In this training, we introduced participants to the recently published manual, ‘War Crimes of the 1990s in the Judgments of the Montenegrin Judiciary,’ which we developed to support history and related subject teachers in tackling topics from the recent past in the classroom. During the training, we also explored methodologies to approach the wars of the 1990s, discussing how court judgments and survivor testimonies, as well as those from their families, can be incorporated into teaching. The teachers showed great enthusiasm and shared very interesting ideas that could serve as a foundation for further developing this topic”, noted Igor Radulović, one of the teachers.
“I would first like to commend the seminar’s theme, as it addresses a topic that is still insufficiently discussed and one that we approach from different angles depending on the warring sides. The main point is that crime has no justification, regardless of which side it comes from, and that in all wars, there are only two types of people – those who act human and those are inhumane, joining a side willingly or unwillingly. I believe that this approach and these topics should awaken students and raise awareness among future generations who will need to live according to the values of civilization,“ stated Dragan Bubanja, a history teacher from Gymnasium “Panto Mališić” in Berane, who was one of the participants.
“There can be no progress in society without facing the past, and the significance of this seminar lies in addressing a topic that remains somewhat of a ‘taboo’ in these areas, largely avoided in public discussions outside of occasional scientific symposia or professional seminars – which is insufficient for the societal catharsis we need. This is why a broader public debate is necessary, especially in school settings, where these topics should be covered not only within History curricula but also integrated across various subjects through interdisciplinary approaches or even as an elective subject dedicated solely to this theme,” observed Adil Novalić, a teacher at the Secondary Vocational School in Rožaje. “Personally, I plan to address this topic over several lessons, using that portion of the curriculum that grants teachers autonomy in subject coverage. In doing so, this manual and the seminar experience will be invaluable to me,” he added.
“As a media literacy trainer, I was particularly interested in the extent to which media influenced the perception of these events, the (un)bias reporting on the 1990s, access to information, the sources used, and their relevance, as well as whether the media influenced judicial decisions and to what extent,” shared Ljiljana Milović, a teacher from Primary School “Anto Đedović” in Bar, reflecting on her motivation for participating in the training. “Why is it important to talk about these topics? Because they are rarely discussed, and it would be beneficial to shed light on the 1990s from multiple perspectives to have a clear understanding of the events of that period,” she concluded.
The training is part of the project Education for the Future – Transitional Justice for Reconciliation, enabled through the regional programme EU Support for Building Confidence in the Western Balkans, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Damir Suljević, Human Rights Program Coordinator