A major stir among German historians sparked Berlin's plans to retreat from advanced school schools the compulsory teaching of past regarding the communist dictatorship in the GDR. On the case, he was the first to study "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".
Media reports show that the city of Berlin plans to change its curriculum for students in the German capital from next school year, giving up compulsory teaching of the past of the German Democratic Republic (NRD). It is simply a communist dictatorship from 1949 to 1990.
In consequence to these plans, a group of historians sent an open letter dated 14 January to Berlin Councillor for Education Katharina Günther-Wünch of the CDU, demanding to preserve the past of communist governments.
The letter was signed by representatives of, among others, the national Foundation for the Reanalysis of SED Dictatorship [SED is the Socialist Unity organization of Germany], the Berlin Association of past Teachers and the Association of past Teachers in Germany.
In an open letter, historians stressed that they are “seriously concerned” about the plans of the Berlin legislature Department of Education chaired by Senator Katharina Günther-Wünch (CDU), who plans to revise the curriculum to reduce the number of mandatory historical subjects in secondary schools from 4 to two. The past of GDR and the subject of the memory culture would be optional subjects implemented in the 3rd and 4th semesters of the secondary school respectively. The revolutions and Nazism would be mandatory in the first and second semesters.
– It cannot be that specified an crucial subject as the past of GDR is no longer taught as a compulsory subject, especially in Berlin – commented Lea Honoré, president of the Berlin National past Teachers Association.
The letter states: “Under the proposed regulations, the in-depth survey of the past of the division of Germany, GDR and its abolition will no longer be mandatory for many students in the future. We consider this decision to be a serious mistake and call for a refrain from its implementation."
He added: “To deal with dictatorship, division and democratic renewal is not a subject that can be chosen freely, but a essential component of historical and political education. It is the central basis for democratic judgement and political orientation."
Historians propose that the current authorities that push for a change of curriculum may aim to deprive students of awareness of the dangers of communism. "Without a compulsory, in-depth advanced school education there is simply a real danger that even more students will leave her without systematic learning about the communist dictatorship and division of Berlin and Germany" warned historians.
One entrepreneur Christian Burkart, convinced that it was about favouring and praising socialism among the German community, commented on page X: “How can socialism be made attractive to people erstwhile fresh past has shown that socialism is inhuman and does not work? Better to focus on the Nazi Age for the 5th time in school!”
Sources: brusselsignal.eu / rbb24.de
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