Government official: Weekend schools ‘close connection points’
The 260 Hungarian weekend schools operating around the world serve as one of the closest points connecting the diaspora communities with Hungary, a deputy state secretary in the Prime Minister's office said at a conference organised for volunteers teaching in those schools, in Budapest on Thursday.
Peter Szilagyi told the participants that they are “one of the most important keys” of preserving the community of all Hungarians.
He said that since 2011 the government has paid special attention to diaspora Hungarians, noting programmes launched for them and the setting up of a network of weekend schools.
Hungarian weekend schools educate some 11,000 children with the help of 1,000 teachers, Szilagyi said.
Speaking at the methodology conference, Miklos Lengyel, the foreign ministry’s deputy state secretary for education and science diplomacy, said the first such conference had been organised ten years ago with participants from 10-12 countries. At this year’s event participants arrived from 22 countries, he said.
