A project designed (by the People in Need NGO) to make high school students familiar with how Russian propaganda works is being tried in a several Czech schools. Students also learn more about the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the impact of pro-Russian media in their country...“It’s very difficult to present a true picture of reality. Students want more lessons like this but with different examples. They asked for more information so they could become more familiar with the topic. However, some of them considered the lessons manipulation and demanded more comments from other foreign sources for comparison,” Prague teacher Radka Pokludova said, Transitions Online server wrote.

The Education Ministry admits that the topic is sensitive. As a non-profit with publicly stated opinions, People in Need can neither be asked nor expected to be strictly impartial, the ministry told Aktualne.cz. Teachers themselves are responsible for resolving the question of how balanced the lessons are, the ministry added. “In teachers’ experience, a one-sided, emotional documentary, when followed up by the teacher’s comments and corrections, can have a deeper and longer-lasting impact on students than a balanced film that leaves no room for criticism,” the ministry said. Read full article.