Museums for Everyone13 March 2009
The "Museums for Everyone" Programme will be implemented with the help of EU funding within the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan. This Programme supports the nationwide renewal of museums, in order to make these museums suitable for accommodating modern exhibitions, offering a visitor- and school-friendly environment, rich and interesting programmes, as well as entertaining, educating and high standard services.
The museum is a venue of life-long learning. It offers an independent learning opportunity for anyone keen on learning, whilst curiosity and the creative environment may guide anyone not interested in learning towards the path to learning. It may function as an important venue of self-training and organised training for pedagogues. However, many museums are currently unable to meet such expectations, either in terms of what they offer, or through their image.
The EU is providing funding of over 438 million HUF for the „Museums for Everyone – strengthening the role of museums in education and training – central methodology development” programme to be implemented as a priority project of the Hungarian Open-Air Museum programme. The assistance contract of the programme was signed on 11 March.
The programme will be implemented with the aim of providing meaningful, interesting and exciting experiences for students visiting museums, instead of only a superficial experience, by making them feel that they "must return to visit the museum later on". This is extremely important also because of the way the extra-curricula programme substantially improves the communication skills of children, helps promote cooperative learning, as well as group work. Through explanations provided by experts, museum objects are capable of improving learning efficiency immensely.
With the help of innovative museum pedagogy, the programme shifts the emphasis from learning facts to developing skills and abilities and creating motivation. It provides help in adjusting to the special, individual needs of students and the diversity of the learning environment, in addition to disseminating the approach of individualised teaching.
The aim of the programme is to introduce new museum pedagogy solutions underpinning competency development-oriented public education and establish cooperation between museums and public education institutions.
The "Museums for Everyone" priority project equally extends to include establishing and coordinating the methodological basis underpinning the "school-friendly" renewal of the educational partner role of museums, as well as extension training for pedagogues and museum professionals. Through these means and by cooperating with schools, museums will be able to engage in skills and competency development and strengthen social integration and cohesion even more actively.
By creating and applying modern methods of cultural mediation and organising these in target-oriented cooperation and information networks, museums will be able to further strengthen their community role by functioning as open and visitor-friendly institutions.