The Academy of Romanian Scientists has taken note of the Appeal launched at the 3rd National Congress of Romanian Historians(Alba Iulia, 8-10 September 2022) and expresses its full support for it. For the AOSR, history is a major field of interest for education, research and academic knowledge, which is reflected in the work of the Section of Historical and Archaeological Sciences, as well as in the institutional programmes and projects, both national and international.
The Congress, held under the auspices of the Romanian Academy and the National Committee of Historians of Romania, was dedicated to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Mary as sovereigns of Romania in Alba Iulia. The appeal of the Congress is a plea for the fundamental importance of history in the existence of the Romanian people and for the rehabilitation of its status as a subject in school curricula.
The document advocates the need for fairness, scientific objectivity and critical thinking in writing and interpreting history, the involvement of genuine specialists in this process, the fair management of historiographical resources by opening them to the public, the refusal of manipulation through history in the direction of political interests at national, regional and global level, advocating for the promotion of true history and its knowledge by all citizens, and especially by young people, for access and transparency, for bringing history and historians into the arena of public debate and awareness, for recovering the importance of history as a subject of study in the curriculum and for strengthening its status as a fundamental subject. In the latter respect, it is necessary to The History subject should return to the status it had in the early years after 1989 and that the number of hours of history, at the level of pre-university education, should be at least equal to the average number of hours of history in the European Union countries, 3 hours per week. According to the Call of Historians,this necessary revision of the statute must be reflected in the new Education Act, which is in the process of parliamentary debate.
In the view of the Academy of Romanian Scientists, history represents a fundamental source of education for the formation of the identity consciousness of the individual and the nation, the cohesive factor of society under the auspices of a set of common values and ideals, the framework of landmarks, models and lines of action that sustain the evolution of the people and the country in the direction of continuity and development, the organic link between past, present and future. It is through knowledge of history that the national consciousness, the structure of resistance, evolution and development of a peopleis formed. History and historiography must remain the domain of authentic specialists, of professional historians, governed by the principles of truth, fairness, objectivity and scientific honesty, who understand the importance of the act of research, of studying and writing history, of presenting the facts, events and personalities of the past in the spirit of historical truth. The critical and scientific spirit of the historiographical act, the moral conscience and the immense responsibility of the historian exclude any approach or attempt of subjective interpretation, of truncation and manipulation of history in defence of interests, of whatever nature they may be. From the perspective of the educational process, history is a core field and subject in all cycles of study. On the basis of this indisputable truth for any nation conscious and responsible for itself, its past, present and future, history must recover its the status of its educational importance through a curricular regime worthy of its fundamental value for the intellectual, spiritual, moral and identity formation of young generations. The importance of the study of history must be assumed at the level of the Ministry of Educationthrough a new status in the curriculum, reflected in an increase in the number of teaching hours, relevant content endorsed by authentic historians and the quality of teaching. In concrete terms and as a priority, the number of hours of study in school curricula, which is currently reduced to a minimum, must be significantly increased.
Welcoming the Appeal of the National Congress of Romanian Historians, endorsed by one of the most important historians of contemporary Romania, a true European humanist scholar, Academician Ioan-Aurel Pop, President of the Romanian Academy, the Academy of Romanian Scientists, through the historians in its structure, as well as through all the members of the academic body, expresses its full support of this Document of high moral, national and identity value.
Communication and Public Relations Office of the Academy of Romanian Scientists
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