Last summer, Slovak Minister of Education Tomáš Drucker announced a plan to optimize the secondary and higher education school networks and improve the state of high schools and universities. According to the minister, more than 80 high schools currently operate with fewer than 100 students, and to ensure their survival, merging these institutions would be necessary. However, the proposed changes may affect Hungarian and bilingual secondary schools, raising serious concerns.

At the end of January, the Hungarian Alliance (Magyar Szövetség) organized a professional meeting with high school principals and educators to discuss the situation and explore possible solutions. László Gubík, President of the party, emphasized that while rationalizing the network is inevitable, optimal solutions must be developed locally. He also highlighted that family policies and the protection of Hungarian-language schools are essential to ensuring the continued operation of high schools in the future.

Hungarian-language education must not suffer, and secondary schools must maintain their quality even in the event of mergers. During the consultation, several school principals expressed that merging Hungarian schools would only be acceptable if they were merged with other Hungarian institutions, ensuring the preservation of education in the mother tongue. Irén Fekete, President of the Alliance of Hungarian Educators in Slovakia (SZMPSZ), emphasized that every Hungarian student has the right to study in their native language, and this right must be a key consideration in the development of educational strategies.

The meeting made it clear that transforming the education network is a complex task requiring thorough professional and political consultation. Strengthening regional cooperation in education is also crucial so that local communities can play a role in shaping the future of education.

The Hungarian Alliance and the Alliance of Hungarian Educators in Slovakia are committed to protecting constitutional rights, as it is essential to safeguard the rights of the Hungarian minority and their schools during any restructuring.

Source: Ma7.sk

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