Textbooks for Future Warriors

That is what the Radical national leaders say, but  so  do  the textbooks, specifically,  the  Serbian  language textbooks for VI and VII grades. Following is a quote from one of the  textbooks: "A country can be defended with an ardent heart and  a wise head, but only by those who took the opportunity to die and entered  legend to inspire new exploits. Memories of graves and charnel-houses are the pledge of the new generations, encouragement in moments of despondency."

Within  its  macro-project "Education for a Civil  Society",  the Belgrade Center for Anti-war Action has decided to  analyse  the contents of social science, language and history textbooks.  It wants to see how patriotism, pacifism, ethnocentrism  and  sex education are elaborated. It has so far completed  only  the "patriotic"  analysis  of the language textbooks for VI and  VII grades,  but, from the initial results, one can draw the  conclusion that teenagers are being prepared for war.

"Life sacrificed for fatherland is the supreme symbol of patriotism in the participative relationship between an individual  and his country. In this predominant relationship, the essence of the individual is completely drawn from the community, an individual is subjected to patriotism, since "it is only your heritage  that shows  you who you are". The textbooks insist on emotions,  while the rational aspect is completely neglected, Ruzica Rosandic, a  Professor of Psychology at the Novi Sad College of  Philosophy

explains.  "It is a reciprocal relationship: the meaning of personal life increases by belonging to a community, just as the community is enriched by the individuals' contributions."

"Blood  is  abundant  in the analysed textbooks of the Serbian language. Patriotism is not life, work, creativity, it is  dying for your fatherland, for your people. The students  learn  that "fighting  and dying for freedom is an honour to every  patriot", that  "this  nation  is used to dying, finding cure  in its own death", Rosandic says.

In the two textbooks, the greatest of the seven possible  reasons for existence, ie, the supreme values of community, is  "holding on  to territory, to borders" (around 100 of other total  of  175 teaching units), which is followed by "the whole nation living in one  country (unity, harmony)". The latter raison d'etre appears some  30 times, which is double the frequency of mentioning  culture in  the broader sense of the word. It  is  indicative  that religion appears in none of the 175 units. Rosandic and other members of the expert team of the Centre for  Anti-war  Action found in the two textbooks 170 references to what a patriot is supposed to be like - soldiers are model patriots in 90, artists in 20 and children some 50 instances. Also, the  most frequently mentioned act of patriotism in the two  textbooks  is death  or sacrifice of life.

Here  is an example of a text in the Ninth grade language  reader (authors: Pujic, Lepir, Ivanovic, published in 1991): "The  behaviour  and aspirations of the nationalist-separatist  forces  did not frighten the Serbian people, on the contrary, it strengthened the Serbs' readiness and firmness to strongly  and consistently fight for the peaceful and democratic resolution of all  problems

and  build a new state with all those who want to live in  it  on the  basis  of democracy and equality. In such a  situation,  the Republic of Serbia faces the historical task of strengthening its defence forces."

Any  similarity  with the programmes of the state TV (the  Evening News being the model) is - not coincidental. Anyway, a  textbook for fourth  grade, as Rosandic warns us, advises the children that the best way they can get to know their country and love  it is to watch TV and keep a "diary of  social developments regarding our country".

The developments in the past two-three years have completely ridiculed  the textbooks, so the more politically aware  teachers spent  the time set apart for lessons about Slovenia and  Croatia as Yugoslav republics teaching the children about "all the  countries outside Yugoslavia's borders" and about Serb communities in the world. Krajina geographers, however, request a new textbook: "The Geography of All Serbian Lands" in order to "finally end the

imposed divisions of Serbs and their lands."

There is no doubt that the students will now learn less about socialism's advantages  over capitalism. A history textbook for eighth grade says that the Vatican has "begun a  battle  against the Christian Orthodox and the Serbs with the help of the Catholic Church and its allies."

Punishment awaits teachers who do not use only the official textbooks approved by the Education Ministry. The approved textbooks, though,  are not sacred: the Minister can  request  alterations, amendments  or altogether new textbooks. The Minister is also  in charge of competition: it is the Minister who approves the import of  textbooks  from  other states (translated,  of  course).  The Minister  will  no doubt approve the "import" of  some  books  on nuclear physics and similar disciplines having nothing to do with history, the mother tongue and similar "key" subjects.

The  only  partly  successful resistance  to  Minister  Danilo Z. Markovic's smug smile comes from the Albanians. Kosovo  Albanians have  a parallel schooling system, with their own  curricula  and meadows or large rooms used as classrooms. As far as we know, the elementary  school  curriculum contains no Yugoslav  author.  The geography  classes  do not recognise F.R. Yugoslavia,  Kosovo  is treated like a state; history textbooks mention 1945 as "the year when Serbia-Yugoslavia annexed Kosovo". Albanian Education Minister  Dzezair Taliti and his counterpart in the "Kosovo  Republic" Muhamed Bicaj agreed in Tirana in late April on a "single  school system for Albanians no matter where they live". Schooling  under five  different curricula and different textbooks was qualified by the two men as tragic.

"Everything is clear here: only the  Textbook Publishers can publish textbooks, there is a single  curriculum,  the textbooks are approved by the Minister, no  teacher has  the right to include in his teaching anything  outside the curriculum, only one correct answer is given to each problem, the textbooks are approved on the basis of strict adherence  to the  set curriculum and political  suitability.  Before,  quasi-Marxism  and  the self-governing system were  suitable,  now  the criteria applied  are Serbian cause and  the increasingly  strong Serbian Orthodox feelings  and  hailing  the authorities.