The Hungarian schools in Transcarpathia opened the new school year with a ceremony

The Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association (KMPSZ) held its central opening ceremony of the school year in Visk. The central idea of the event on 9 September was the need to regain the rights taken away in the field of mother tongue education.

The Hungarians of Transcarpathia have been living in their homeland for hundreds of years, and they want to be state-building factors with the rights and opportunities that go with it, and they are asking for the rights taken away in the field of mother tongue education back with “persistent tenacity”, said Ildikó Orosz, president of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Pedagogical Association (KMPSZ) and the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education, at the opening ceremony of the Hungarian schools in the county.

The event, which was held in the Reformed Church of Visk, started with the singing of the Himnusz and a worship service, followed by a speech by Ildikó Orosz. In her opening speech, the president said that teachers had stood their ground in the face of extraordinary circumstances during the past school year, which had been full of uncertainties. She thanked the teachers who, in addition to fulfilling their teaching duties, had persevered in the face of all the difficulties. She said that the Pedagogical Association would continue to make the functioning and development of Hungarian institutions its top priority.

After welcoming the invited guests, the ceremony was followed by a performance by the first-graders of the Kölcsey Ferenc Primary and Secondary School of Visk. Then the representatives of the churches asked for God’s blessing on the children starting school.

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Afterwards, the teachers and students of the school shared their thoughts. The event was enriched by a very topical choice, with a performance by Karina Becske, who delighted the audience with a song by Csézy entitled “Ez az otthonunk”, and Szebasztián Nyisztor reciting a poem by Sándor Reményik entitled “Templom és iskola”.

The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Szózat, and, in a departure from tradition, at the end of the school year opening, the KMPSZ declaration was read, in which they call on the relevant state authorities to ensure the restoration of the previously existing educational and language usage rights.

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