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The national remembrance education program will become nationwide, with the aim of ensuring that every child visits a national or historical memorial site at least once organized by schools, said Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén.
Speaking at a press conference in Budapest to announce the expansion of the program, Zsolt Semjén said that the initiative will reach 78-80,000 pupils from grade 7 to grade 11 in around 3,000 classes, with the participation of sixty school district centers and forty-seven national memorial sites. The government will provide HUF 1 billion (EUR 2.5 million) for this purpose in the current school year.
The deputy prime minister described the initiative as a three-in-one program, combining elements that have existed separately until now: history lessons in schools, good practice in the pedagogy of remembrance at historical sites and community-building outside the classroom.
Students will be introduced to national and historical sites through modern tools and professional guided tours, and concrete examples of specific historical events, great figures and heroes of our nation will be experienced in a personal and tangible way,”
he pointed out.
The politician said that the survival of a small nation can only be achieved if every single member of the nation is aware and proud that it is worth belonging to this nation, “because our ancestors did great things.” “Historical knowledge must be the basis of this pride, and this program makes it possible to experience it,” he underlined.
Gabriella Hajnal, President of the Klebelsberg Center (central management body for the school district centers), said that
the national curriculum also called for experiential methods to impart knowledge, that could “take deeper root” in children.
The program, she said, includes a preparatory school visit before the field visit and a reflective component after the trip.
Gábor Móczár, director-general of the National Heritage Institute, that initiated and coordinates the program, said the program is being launched from the 7th grade because children of that age already have a basic knowledge to build on. He noted that 15,500 children already registered by September, and that there is no cost to schools.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Nemzeti Örökség Intézete