Round table discussion on education

Marosvásárhely / Târgu Mureș, 29 April 2010.℘

The Training for Public Life Foundation, Transindex and Erdély FM organized a round table discussion that dealt with the new Romanian Education Law and more in depth with education in primary schools and high schools. The participants at the round table discussion were: Batizán Emese Emőke – sociologist and CEMO activist, Bartos Miklós – principal of the school group from Erdőszentgyörgy, Bodolai Gyöngyi -redactor of the Népújság (a local newspaper), Beke Tünde – geography teacher from theErdőszentgyörgy school group, Csegzi Sándor vice-mayor of Marosvásárhely/Tirgu Mures, Horváth Gabriella – vice-principal of the Bolyai Farkas High School, Kacsó Erika – school psychologist, Kupán Edit – principal of the Bălcescu School, Pethő László – teacher, engineer at the Elektromaros High School and Szigeti Enikő – the Executive Director of the Civic Engagement Movement. The discussion was moderated by Kósa András László – sociologist and researcher at the Training for Public Life Foundation.
Next to the structural transformations in the public educational system, the participants have discussed about the specific issues, problems related to the education of children belonging to the Hungarian minority population:

Szigeti Enikő: – In Maros/Mures county the alternatives for Hungarian children have immensely narrowed, they practically can choose between two schools, the Bolyai Farkas High School and the Art School, and when speaking about the vocational education – this means studying for years in Romanian language even though theoretically there are Hungarian vocational classes.

Pethő László: –  In Marosvásárhely/Tirgu Mures there has become a real problem the lack of a Hungarian Vocational School. The atmosphere is totally different in a school where there are Hungarian inscriptions, where people, children can and do speak publicly Hungarian. Presently, in the bilingual vocational schools Hungarian children are dominated by a second-hand feeling.

Horváth Gabriella: – When we, teachers, children from the Bolyai Farkas High School visit other schools, we can hardly imagine how our colleagues can exist in these, so called bilingual schools. In class breaks Hungarian children are lying snug in corners or in the courtyard, in worse case they do not even go out from the classrooms, because they cannot, do not dare to speak publicly Hungarian. From this reason, the idea of a Hungarian vocational school is a very good and useful idea.

Szigeti Enikő: – In “normal” cases segregation of children is not a viable idea, moreover, is much better if Hungarian and Romanian children are together so that they can learn from each other. But because the experience shows that even in these bilingual institutions happens a strange and hierarchical segregation, it is worth to think on the idea that the Hungarian community should build up a strong educational institutional system. In these conditions there would be respected the language rights of Hungarian children and they personality would develop better as well, in a psychical atmosphere that could be characterized as being more secure for the children.

Kupán Edit: A Hungarian child feels herself/himself in a different way as a Romanian child when going on the corridor of the so called bilingual school: he/she is surrounded only by Romanian inscriptions, advertisements, attends events organized only in Romanian language. This is the responsibility of those people who are directing the school, however they often do not realize how important these tasks would be.”  (Transindex)