Government official: Hungarian-language education key to nation’s future

“Our mother tongue is the source of all of our values and strength,” Arpad Janos Potapi said at the inauguration of new accommodations at the Esterhazy Academy built with support from the Hungarian government. “We trust that the newly-inaugurated buildings will strengthen the appeal of the intellectual hub being created in Martovce.”

Potapi said the Esterhazy Academy was part of an institutional system that had been built over the last 12 years, noting that it offered Hungarian-language education from the pre-school to the university level.

“With the academy, we have opened a gateway to public life for future generations,” Potapi said, adding that a strong presence in public life and a commitment to national values guaranteed that ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia could remain in their homeland.

The operator of the Esterhazy Academy, the Marthos Civic Association, received a total of 25 million forints (EUR 67,400) in support from the Hungarian government during the two years of 2020 and 2021, Potapi said.