Press

The colours of the Association of Independent Schools

By Anna Csonka, Origo - 26-12-2008 15:01:59

Ninth time this year has The Association of Independent Schools awarded the Várhegyi György Award – named after its founder – to teachers who have accomplished something outstanding in the creating or maintaining of an independent school. By the bye, we think it is time to have a look-around in the area of foundation- and private schools.

„Independent schools concentrate on the two extremes of the society: the poorest and the wealthiest study in this kind of institutions. Most people thinking about these schools have only elite-training popping up in their mind, although the most important mission of such foundations is to provide those who have somehow fallen out of the system with proper education. Either because they live in regions that are slowly falling behind, or because their being dyslexics or having any kind of special needs” – as György Horn, director of AKG and chairman of AME comments the popular misconception.

“For the very reason of this duality do I prefer to call these institutions independent and not foundation schools, for they fulfil state duties while being independent from the state itself. Too bad the governments in power pay most of their attention on this first statement and are very sparing with subsidy – only the basic normative after each student goes to these schools. This is one of the reasons that called the Association of Independent Schools (AME) alive in 1992: to unite and to aid independent schools. The Association aims to delegate at least one member to every important professional and governmental organisation to lobby for and to get its member schools interests.”

Graduating "Trumpeters – Kürtösök"

In what does the Kürt (Trumpet) School differ from other bilingual high schools? With the words of Éva Herczeg, director of the school: “The Kürt is not so much a place, more like an idea. Not an institution bound to a building about to cave in, forcing its hundred-year-old traditions, but more like an island announcing and fulfilling the wish for liberty of self-conscious people.

Genius Talent-Keeper Kindergarten, Bilingual Primary and High School

The Program of Genius School was created by Mrs. Márta Erős Tóth in 1990. The elements of its talent keeping include: the avoiding of the school bell, the teaching in small groups based on the students different skills, the day-long teaching, the employment of a school psychiatrist, the text based evaluation instead of simple grades, the high number of art training lessons in the field of music and fine arts, and the foreign language and computer training in primary school as well. These elements in 1990 reflected a unique and progressive way of thinking that deviated from the traditional principles of education. In our days most of these elements are well known and widely spread; some of them are to be found in the basic program of almost every school. The Kürt provides a 12 year long, consistent, and organic training for its students, who from their first year can learn a foreign language while being provided with real care of their skills and interests. Several facultative lessons and programs offer the children practice in their own fields of interest, from the age of 6. However, the price of the training is out of reach for an average family: one month in the kindergarten costs 40.000 Forints, and the tuition fee for a school year is above 480.000 HUF.

“Pearl” (Igazgyöngy) Basic School for Arts

The Igazgyöny Foundation, founded by Nóra Ritók is a civil organisation of high public use, aiming talent keeping and basic art training among the underprivileged, mostly Roma children. The Foundation has been active for 10 years – today 650 children take part in the art training provided by the it in Berettyófalu and its region. “I do think that the pursuit for happiness is present in each and every child, but unfortunately not all the children start their journey with the same chances.” – as Nóra Ritók stated in an earlier interview.

The teachers of the Igazgyöngy with all their might try to help the children who start from “further away”. In the school they work with the best tools and materials and show the most interesting techniques to the eager students. These lessons are non-traditional: the world opens up to the students in here. The aim of the institution is not less than to raise self-conscious individuals with the help of arts, individuals who can bravely take up themselves and their opinions. Besides all these, the Foundation has been trying to provide families living in dire circumstances with financial aid.

"Art Ért" Foundation, Basic School for Arts

The "Art Ért" Foundation with the leadership of József Csetneki aims the same activities as the Igazgyöngy, but in the region of Sárospatak. They provide basic art training in more than ten smaller settlements, with the same purpose of personality improvement. They teach puppeteer- and dramatic art, several branches of the fine arts, folk dance and music. The training consists of eight school years and a preparatory year. The artists who founded and maintain the school organise annual summer camps on a nearby art colony. For all these they charge their underprivileged students a mere 5.000 HUF; in the maintaining of the school they are aided by the detriment subsidy from the state.