Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pointed out the need for humanitarian knowledge for self-identification of people and proposed more emphasis on humanitarian subjects in one of his pre-electoral articles. Yefim Pivovar, head of the Russian State University for the Humanities, has described the changes history education needs, RIA Novosti reports.
The scientist said that the Academic Association of History Knowledge was formed in 2004. The country has the Russian Society of Historians and Archivists, the Association of Teachers of History and Social Studies. Alexander Kondakov, Director of the Prosvesheniye Publishing Company, initiated establishment of the Public Council for Humanitarian Education. The RSUH organizes a regular international forum called Humanitarian Readings, Pivovar says.
The RSUH head says that school standards need reconsideration, as well as some subjects. History lessons last 9 grades. Grades 10 and 11 repeat the knowledge. Scientists say that a subject on Russian influence in the world is needed.
Pivovar said that pupils need about 3-5 different schoolbooks to study history. He noted that schoolbooks are evaluated for their science content at the Russian Academy of Sciences and for methods at the Russian Academy of Education.
The professor says that modern history is a complex project for any scientist and is based on sources and personal views and opinions of witnesses. But the civil positions of book authors must not prevail over real facts, he insists.
2012 is the Year of Russian History. The RSUH will mark the anniversary of events in 1612, 1812 and other dates. The Rodniye Korni project allows students to build their family trees by the end of the year. The Rodnaya Istoria project is aimed at preventing falsification of history in the Internet. The third project is collection of information from witnesses of the post-Soviet era.
