It is the duty and goal of the Hungarian government to support families raising children, diligent students and teachers pursuing their profession in a dedicated manner in every possible area, Minister of Human Capacities Miklós Kásler said at the national school year opening ceremony held on Sunday in Sárvár.

Mr Kásler said the seven-point family protection action programme, too, serves to support this.

The Minister announced that the national curriculum and framework curriculum which are based on traditional values, but rest on the foundations of the latest methods and means are now complete, and will be introduced in the next school year. He said they will adapt digital and traditional textbooks to the new curricula, and from the 2020/2021 school year these – to the value of some HUF 14 billion – will be placed at the disposal of all Hungarian pupils and students free of charge.

He added that the government is in the process of building or refurbishing 800 schools to a total value of HUF 276 billion. All secondary school students in the 9th and 11th grades – 140,000 annually – will be able to improve their foreign language skills abroad. Additionally, the first language examination and the theoretical part of the driving test will be free for students, and all Hungarian students will be able to attend museums, archives, theatres and concert halls free of charge.

He said since its entry into office in 2010 the government has tripled the budget of the children’s meals programme – now amounting to HUF 83 billion – and free meals are available to children from needy families throughout the year.

In the past six years, teacher salaries have increased by 50 per cent on average, and ten thousand teachers have obtained the master teacher degree which could boost their salaries by up to HUF 70,000, he said.

Mr Kásler pointed out at the national school year opening ceremony that the totality of education, training and morals constitutes self-awareness, “awareness of who you are and why you exist”.

“During the course of their history, the many-rooted Hungarian people have been able to survive, to gain in strength over and over again, and to create their culture because they have always returned to the correct path of their ancestors, have been led by noble principles, and have acted on the basis of the right values,” he pointed out.

In his words, it is the duty of teachers to live by setting a good example and to hand down the intellectual and spiritual treasures accumulated by past generations, thereby retaining our uniquely rich cultural heritage and helping younger generations to further enhance it.

At the school year opening ceremony which also featured a show by local pupils, Mayor of Sárvár István Kondora (Fidesz-KDNP) said in the settlement which is best known for its thermal baths and hotels they have built “a five-star city” where the safety of residents is a top priority as is the aspiration that residents as well as visiting tourists have a good time, and are “as happy as possible”.

At the 10th National School Year Opening Ceremony which was held this year in the Sárvár Nádasdy Tamás Elementary School, school principal Attila Lakat welcomed the attendees, including the pupils of the school who – together with other pupils and students around the country – will start the task of learning again on Monday morning.

(Ministry of Human Capacities/MTI)