SLOVAKIA: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION MANDATORY BUT NEEDS

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000026 SIPDIS FOR EUR/OHI GREG MATTSON, EUR/PPD FREDERICKA SCHMADEL, EUR/NCE ALEXANDRA MCKNIGHT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SOCI LO CONGRINT OSCE SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA: HOLOCAUST EDUCATION MANDATORY BUT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT REF: SECSTATE 348370 ¶1. IN RESPONSE TO REFTEL QUESTIONS CONCERNING HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN SLOVAKIA, POST OFFERS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION DRAWN FROM THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE 1998 REPORT ON "THE TREATMENT OF JEWISH THEMES IN SLOVAK SCHOOLS" AND FROM DISCUSSION IN EARLY JANUARY 2004 WITH MRS. MARIA SLUGENOVA AT THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND MR. EGON GAL, DIRECTOR OF THE JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM AT COMENIUS UNIVERSITY. BOTH INDIVIDUALS ARE MEMBERS OF SLOVAKIA'S COMMITTEE THAT COORDINATES WITH THE TASK FORCE FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION, REMEMBRANCE AND RESEARCH. IN BRIEF, SLOVAKIA HAS EDUCATION LEADERS ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN TRYING TO IMPROVE HOLOCAUST EDUCATION; HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL SOME WAY TO GO AS THE TOPIC DOES NOT HAVE AN OFFICIAL CURRICULUM OR IN-DEPTH TEXTS. ¶2. IS THERE A NATIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST? A: YES. SLOVAKIA HAS A NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST IS INCLUDED IN SOME REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS FOR ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. REQUIRED TEXTS TOUCHING ON JEWISH HISTORY AND THE HOLOCAUST INCLUDE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY BOOKS, AS WELL AS CIVIC EDUCATION. SOME NEWLY-PUBLISHED REQUIRED TEXTS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL ARE CANDID ABOUT THE ROLE OF THE WARTIME SLOVAK STATE IN THE PERSECUTION AND DEPORTATION TO CONCENTRATION CAMPS OF MANY THOUSANDS OF SLOVAK JEWS. SECONDARY SCHOOL BOOKS, STILL IN USE UNTIL A NEWLY- PREPARED HIGH SCHOOL BOOK REACHES THE PRESS, PRESENT THE WARTIME SLOVAK STATE POSITIVELY, COVERING UP COMPLICITY WITH THE HOLOCAUST, IN LINE WITH NATIONALIST TRENDS IN POLITICS. BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRIME MINISTER ARE SUPPORTIVE OF HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AS A NATIONAL REQUIREMENT, AND REFORM OF BOOKS AS WELL AS TEACHER TRAINING ARE ONGOING. SEPTEMBER 9 IS RECOGNIZED IN SLOVAKIA AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE FOR THE HOLOCAUST. SCHOOLS ORGANIZE DISCUSSIONS AND TEACHERS AND STUDENTS VISIT MEMORIAL SITES IN THEIR REGIONS. THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, POLITICAL PARTIES, THE JEWISH MUSEUM, SOME NGOS AND OTHERS ALSO ORGANIZE EVENTS. ¶3. ARE THERE STATE OR MUNICIPAL REQUIREMENTS OR GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST? A: AS THE CURRICULUM IS NATIONAL, THE APPROACH IS NATIONAL FOR THIS COUNTRY WITH A TOTAL POPULATION OF AROUND FIVE MILLION. THE COUNTRY'S FOUR TEACHERS' TRAINING COLLEGES IN KOSICE, PRESOV, BANSKA BYSTRICA AND BRATISLAVA THAT COORDINATE IN-SERVICE AS WELL AS PRE-SERVICE TRAINING DO INCLUDE VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS ON HOLOCAUST TRAINING THAT ARE WELL ATTENDED. TRAINERS DESCRIBE THE TEACHERS AS MOTIVATED AND OPEN-MINDED CONCERNING HOLOCAUST HISTORY. TRAINING OF TRAINERS IS ONGOING IN SLOVAKIA AND ABOUT FIFTY TEACHER TRAINERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE FIELD. THEIR TRAINING HAS INCLUDED SITE VISITS TO FORMER CONCENTRATION CAMPS. ¶4. WHAT CURRICULA HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION? A: THERE IS NO SPECIFIC CURRICULUM FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION; HOWEVER AN EDUCATION PACKET IS IN PREPARATION (SEE BELOW). ¶5. HOW ARE THE TEXT MATERIALS ON THE HOLOCAUST BEING USED IN SCHOOLS? A: CURRENT TEXTS ON THE HOLOCAUST ARE INSUFFICIENT AND TEACHERS ARE WAITING FOR THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEXTBOOK. OF SPECIAL INTEREST, A HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PACKET FOR TEACHERS PREPARED BY HISTORIANS, SPECIALISTS AND TEACHERS IS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC MATERIAL THAT TEACHERS WILL RECEIVE DEALING WITH HOLOCAUST EDUCATION FOR SLOVAKIA. THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE INSTITUTE OF JEWISH STUDIES HAS COMPLETED PREPARATION OF THE PACKET AND ONE THOUSAND COPIES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN THE SPRING. THE PACKAGE WILL BE USED AS SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL BY HISTORY TEACHERS. IT INCLUDES "GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST," AS WELL AS "ROOTS, CONDITIONS AND THE COURSE OF THE HOLOCAUST IN EUROPE AND SLOVAKIA". IT ALSO INCLUDES BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE JEWISH PEOPLE. THE PACKAGE HAS A VIDEOTAPE OF AUTHENTIC TESTIMONY OF SLOVAK SURVIVORS AND A THEMATIC WORKBOOK. AT PRESENT, USE OF SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS AND CORRECT USE OF REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS LEAVES HOLOCAUST EDUCATION IN LARGE PART TO THE TEACHERS' DISCRETION. OUR CONTACTS DO REPORT THAT MANY TEACHERS ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AT PRESENT. THAYER NNNN