It is partly for this reason that history lessons in schools do not gloss over challenging events, history educator Mare Oja and teacher Tiina-Mall Kreem went on.

Oja and Kreem were responding to a recent opinion piece from literary scholar Maarja Vaino. In the piece, Vaino expressed concern that Estonian schools avoid difficult and painful topics, World War II included, in their history classes. In Vaino's view, the multi-perspective approach to history favored by the Ministry of Education and Research is a threat to Estonian national identity and leaves students without core knowledge of the key turning points in Estonian history.

Oja, the Ministry's chief expert on preschool and basic education, and Kreem, an experienced history teacher, argue that everyday school practice is the diametric opposite of what Vaino described.

Oja, who prepared a guide for history teachers as part of the University of Tartu-led "RITA-Ränne" project—a guide Vaino criticized by name—stressed the document's purpose is not to help teachers walk on eggshells around the difficult issues.

"We cannot ignore the controversial topics. We have compiled research-based practices from different countries and scholars to help teachers manage sensitive issues in the classroom. We know that challenges arise from the different memory communities and backgrounds from which students come together in the classroom," Oja said.

Vaino was at least correct in pointing out World War II ranks among the most difficult topics covered in history lessons, Oja went on, in part due to differences in perspectives on the era between the major demographic groups in Estonia—differences not only in ethnicity, but also in age and other metrics. "This stems from the different memory communities, and differences also exist within those communities. They are related to people's age, not merely to cultural or national identity. We cannot, in today's classroom, accuse students whose great-grandfathers served in the Red Army of being responsible for the occupation regime," Oja said. Teaching is also guided by the principle of cultural sensitivity, she added. "However, regardless of cultural or religious identity, we live in Estonia and value the Estonian state and society. That is the core around which our teaching is built."

"All young people have the right to their own opinions, but we focus on developing historical thinking and working with documents on a scientific basis," Oja said. "We do not approach history on the basis of emotions, as in: 'My grandmother said history is like this'."

Oja also rejected the claim that Estonian history is being marginalized in curricula or is no longer being taught systematically. "In Estonian history, parallels are drawn with world history. We cannot talk about Estonian history in isolation, as all events in Estonia's history have taken place within the context of world history and European history," Oja said.

Kreem likewise rejected the notion that teachers skirt around uncomfortable topics or dilute history into something toothless. According to her, the aim of multi-perspective history teaching is to aid students in recognizing what is propaganda and in making sense of the past. It should also be noted there are pupils from a range of different backgrounds in Estonia today, including those who have come from Ukraine in recent times.

"Multi-perspective history teaching means that historical events—which always take place in a specific space, place, and time—are examined from the viewpoints of different parties. For example, when we discuss events of World War II in the classroom, that includes Estonians, Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, and Finns—we have a great range of students—we look at these events as historical events and try to view them free from ideology," Kreem said. "We examine how the present day and current circumstances have been shaped by those past events and why we must speak honestly about history," she added.

On whether current and emotionally charged debates, such as those concerning the 1920 Treaty of Tartu, are approached too cautiously in the classroom, Kreem said schools are the first place where issues like that get opened up for discussion.

Kreem also said she has never come across modern Estonian history teaching avoiding uncomfortable topics.

Kreem said she was not familiar with such teachers and noted that the educators in her circle stay up to date with historical scholarship. She said their role is to calmly discuss controversial topics and create space for students to share their views.

Kreem said democracy allows people to express different views, but discussion is essential for building shared values. She added that understanding national history requires understanding other societies as well, since Estonian history is closely tied to broader global developments.

Both experts said criticism not grounded in classroom practice or curriculum content is unfair to teachers.

Kreem also suggested some criticism stems from viewing history through a single perspective.

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