Ethnic Hungarian weekend schools conquer the world

Ethnic Hungarian weekend schools are getting stronger around the world and their number is on the increase, an official of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday.

Deputy state secretary Péter Szilágyi told a conference held in Budapest for voluntary teachers of ethnic Hungarian weekend schools that they now operate at pre-Covid levels, even exceeding these in many places. The ministry knows of some 250 schools and communities of children operating in ethnic Hungarian diasporas, and it maintains active links with 150 ethnic Hungarian weekend schools, he said. They operate even in far-away locations, he said, citing Tokyo, Abu Dhabi and Singapore where regular Hungarian classes started in 2022.

He highlighted the strengthening of the ethnic Hungarian school of Columbia and expressed thanks to all the teachers working in such schools. Tenders have been invited since 2018 for supporting diaspora Hungarians and their organisations, and weekend schools are getting help under a dedicated scheme starting from this year, he said.

Funding is available for teachers and educational experts for further training, the acquisition and distribution of textbooks, and for renting space for educational activities. Resources are also offered for weekend schools to develop links between each other, organise study trips and participate in study competitions. The application deadline is June 5 and implementation period is January 1 to December 31, he said.