“We do not consider school mergers to be inherently bad, but we firmly believe that a Hungarian school should only be merged with another Hungarian school,” said László Gubík, president of the Hungarian Alliance. This is the standard—whether people like it or not. The benchmark set by the Hungarian Alliance applies specifically to Hungarian schools in Slovakia. While advocating for positive discrimination could be a potential solution, it’s not a likely outcome in the near future..

The dilemma of centralization versus independent operation has long been a fundamental issue in the Hungarian education system in Slovakia, raising important questions for the Hungarian community. In smaller localities, how much does the presence of a Hungarian school contribute to the strength and retention of the community? And in larger towns, where Hungarian-language kindergartens, elementary schools, and high schools still exist, what is the best approach to their organization? Should the schools be merged to form a strong educational center, or should they remain separate until they gradually disappear?

According to László Gubík,when making education policy, the interests of the community interests must always take precedence over individual concerns. To this end, the Hungarian Alliance proposes establishing a permanent professional forum, which would function as the “Hungarian Education Council in Slovakia,” and include the participation of experts such as Attila Fodor, director of the Comenius Pedagogical Institute.

The issue has become particularly urgent as proposals arise for the optimization of the secondary school network. Plans suggest that 17 Hungarian-related institutions could be impacted by these reforms, including the Pázmány Péter High School in Nové Zámky/Érsekújvár, an important town for the minority. In this context, the creation of Hungarian school centers has emerged as a possible forward-thinking solution to stabilize the situation of Hungarian-language education.

A final decision is still pending, but local leadership has expressed optimism about the school center initiative. Hopefully, by adhering to the proposed guidelines, it will be possible to preserve and strengthen the future of Hungarian education in Slovakia.

Source: Nemzeti.net

Please follow and like us: