Direct consultations are to be started with those affected by the Gyöngyöspata school issue. Next week the local government and the school district will contact the plaintiffs by mail and will offer them a wide selection of organised trainings, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Capacities announced at his press conference held on Sunday.

Bence Rétvári informed: the common legal representative of the school district and the local government wrote a letter to the legal representative of the plaintiffs asking for discussions about an opportunity for in-kind compensation. He added that although initially they had seen openness, a couple of days later they were given the answer that such consultation was not likely to bring results according to the legal representative.

Rétvári considers it flabbergasting and outrageous that despite the agents of the Foundation (Chance for Children Foundation) visited Gyöngyöspata and talked with those who they represented, yet they did not answer the question “Who would accept the in-kind compensation?” for lawsuit tactics reasons.

The State Secretary said that no substantive help can be expected from the representatives of the plaintiffs, therefore the best way would be if the school district and the local government started direct consultations.

He expressed his regrets that the Foundation assisting the students in the lawsuit was not constructive, instead it only kept making efforts to “make the scandal bigger”. He also added that the Government considers it extremely detrimental and thinks that the real objective of the Foundation, in addition to obtaining money, is to create tension in Hungary and to discredit Hungary abroad.

The State Secretary said that this is a situation that started back in 2004 during the term of the Gyurcsány Government. By extending state control over the Gyöngyöspata School, this situation was handled. The goal of the Government is to provide those students with compensation who were harmed.

The solution of the problem is not to pay a huge amount but to provide a long-term training programme free of charge, said Bence Rétvári, adding that this offers those affected a better opportunity, and acquiring a qualification can lead to a better workplace and a more secure existence.

According to the State Secretary, the Foundation representing the students is not interested in helping the local Roma but in generating further tension and in trying to “squeeze” compensations of as high amounts as possible from state agencies, local governments and school districts “as a member of the Soros network”. He also criticised the Foundation for dividing the village while people will have to continue to live there with each other.

The State Secretary considers court rulings that did not take into account the initiatives of the local government and the school district aiming to give compensation in kind instead of in cash as bad decisions. In his opinion in-kind compensation would best serve both the society’s sense of justice and the long-term interests of those affected.

The students – the majority of whom are young adults now – are offered various trainings and are expected to answer in writing on which one they would accept. They offer vocational trainings, in addition to the 10-12-month courses on the former list of vocational qualifications of the Gyöngyös adult training institute, they also offer psychological support, foreign language training, IT training, activities facilitating integration and trauma processing, as well as auxiliary activities supporting basic skills. They also offer enrolment in the Vocational Education Bridge Programme to help those who have no primary education to receive vocational training.

The mail includes that the affected young people can chose between at least two vocational trainings in Gyöngyös or within its 15 km radius. According to the offer, the training and the curricula are for free, and the exam fee and the costs of travelling to the educational institution will be paid.

Answering a reporter’s question, he said that the letter will be sent to 62 students.

In its final judgement dated 18 September 2019, the Debrecen Court of Appeal awarded the Roma families living in Gyöngyöspata hundred million Hungarian forints in compensation for segregation to be paid by the school district and the local government.

(MTI)