Historian Nikola Minov remarks at the debate held in the Parliament today, over the controversial changes to the elementary school curriculum, drew much attention. Minov strongly condemned the proposal which would remove history as a stand-alone class in elementary education and would open the door to wholesale rewriting of history books – precisely at a time when Bulgaria and Greece demand it.

Even if the timing is an unfortunate coincidence, and let’s for the sake of argument say that it is, such reforms can’t be pushed through in this way. Competent institutions such as the History Institute at the Philosophical Faculty, the Institute of National History, as well as the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Sciences made their criticism clear, and the Government is ignoring them, Minov said.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Education Minister Mila Carovska made sure that a number of their supporters are near-by to promote and support the proposal, and broadcast was cut short after the supportive parties finished their remarks. But never the less, Minov’s speech was widely shared online, as he detailed how most EU member states study history as a stand-alone class in elementary schools.

Listen to those smarter than you, listen to Europe, and keep history where it belongs, Minov told Zaev and Carovska.