Stara Moravica/Novi Sad, 2 September - President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina Bálint Juhász attended a ceremony today at the Primary school “Stari Kovač Đula“ in Stara Mitrovica which marked the start of the new school year for the first graders, who attend classes in the Hungarian language.
Organised by the National council of the Hungarian national minority, supported by the Government of the Republic of Hungary and the State Secretariat for Hungarian National Policy and in cooperation with the Bethlen Gábor Fund, the first graders were traditionally given the school supplies during the ceremony as in the last 13 years. In addition, supported by the The Rákóczi Association, all first graders who attend school in the Hungarian language will receive school bags as a gift.
While wishing all students a successful and happy new start of the school year, President Juhász pointed out that a new, big and important chapter in life was opening today for first graders and their families. He opined that education in mother tongue is a significant and fundamentally important right and privilege and that the provincial administration, in co-operation with the National council of the Hungarian national minority, will continue to contribute, in full capacity, to the creation of the best possible conditions for learning and education of students.
The Primary school “Stari Kovač Đula“ is an educational institution with teaching exclusively in the Hungarian language and since June this year, it was declared an institution of special significance for the National council of the Hungarian national minority. The institution has 263 students in total and this year it enrolled 32 first graders.
In addition to the ceremonial programme, the first graders were also welcomed today in their addresses and with their attendance by the Deputy State Secretary for National Policy at the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary Dr Szilágyi Péter, Member of Parliament Pásztor Bálint, President of the National council of the Hungarian national minority Fremond Árpád, Provincial Secretary for Education, Regulations, Administration and National Minorities - National Communities Ótott Róbert and the State Secretary in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Serbia Jerasz Anikó.