Beginning the school year with a new development programme 3 September 2007
9 programmes targeting the establishment of quality public education will be launched in September with a 60 billion HUF funding framework ensured by the EU resources of the New Hungary Development Plan – announced Gordon Bajnai, Minister of Local Government and regional Development and István Hiller, Minister of Education and Culture at the national ceremony held in Nyíregyháza marking the beginning of the school year.
The objective of the calls for applications is to provide support for public education reform, establish quality public education and build a modern and integrated institutional network accessible for everyone. An addition 10 programmes targeting equal opportunity, IT development and comprehensive quality development with a funding framework of 107 billion HUF will also be announced during the academic year, in addition to the calls for applications launched on 4 September. Within this framework, bodies responsible for financing schools will be able to apply for a total of 52 billion HUF for developing modern public education institutions. This covers the renovation of existing facilities, as well as ensuring handicap access to these, building extensions and making these institutions energy economising. The application criteria will be published during the following two weeks.
Gordon Bajnai declared the following in his opening speech: „We would like to see that these resources reach as many schools as possible. We are adamant about how every single child should have access to education in Hungary and must not be excluded from the system. Whichever financing body is unwilling to ensure equal opportunity regardless of origin and financial status will not be eligible to receive funding. However, every institution opting to follow preconditions will be able to receive funding in an expedient manner. I will also pay attention to concentrating the funding in disadvantaged institutions operating in micro-regions or institutions that are in a very bad state, instead of allocating the funding to institutions operating in urban areas that are currently in good state. We would like children to acquire European-level knowledge and schools to ensure a European standard educational environment in order for students to be able to learn about basic European values. Hungary has great traditions; however, we are also lagging behind according to every European statistic released. Education, as well as schools, is therefore the key to long-term prosperity.