The government supports the preservation and passing on of national minority culture, the State Secretary for Church and Nationality Relations at the Prime Minister’s Office Miklós Soltész said on Wednesday in Pilisvörösvár. He was appearing at the award ceremony for the national minority study scholarships of Friedrich Schiller High School.
Soltész reminded the audience that
Pilisvörösvár is one of the most significant settlements of the German minority in Hungary.
He also emphasised that the enormous efforts by educators and the leaders of national minority governments all serve the purpose of preserving and passing on national minority culture so future generations can experience it as well. This is a tremendous task, he continued, and therefore the government supports this jointly undertaken duty. The State Secretary recalled that the national minority scholarship recognises not only outstanding academic performance, but also work for the community. The scholarship provides opportunities for the awardees, however, it also carries responsibility, as it will depend on them whether the German minority will continue to exist locally in Pilisvörösvár, in the country, or anywhere else in the Carpathian Basin, he added.
Miklós Soltész encouraged the students to serve the community as adults, which is greatly needed. At the festive event, the State Secretary announced that the call for the next scholarship will be published on Wednesday. The school principal Erika Szabóné Bogár highlighted the importance of nurturing national minority culture, experiencing one’s national identity, and acquiring the necessary language skills for students. She went on to point out that the number of applicants and winners in the programme has increased in the last two years. This school year, four of their students received scholarships.
The certificates signed by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén were handed over by Miklós Soltész and Eszter Vitályos, Parliamentary State Secretary for the Ministry of Culture and Innovation and Fidesz Member of Parliament for the region. The two-year scholarship provides monthly support of 30 thousand forints for the selected students from the 11th and 12th grades.
The programme, which started 12 years ago, has so far awarded 343 students, 71 of whom received scholarships this year.
The school’s students who achieved high rankings in national academic competitions in the past period also received further recognition at the event.
