Senta/Novi Sad, 8 October – President of the AP Vojvodina Assembly, dr Juhász Bálint, addressed participants today in Senta at the “SuliExpo” educational exhibition, which this year brought together more than 1,250 eighth-grade students and 28 exhibitors – secondary schools and grammar schools offering instruction in the Hungarian language as well.
Opening the traditional education fair, Juhász told the students that choosing a secondary school was an important decision, but that did not necessarily determine the course of their entire lives.
“Today, you do not have to decide what you will do with your entire life; you only need to discover the next good step. It is not about which school is the best, but which one is best for you,” Juhász stated.
Speaking about the future of young people, President of the AP Vojvodina Assembly also pointed to the rapid changes taking place in the world of labour. As he noted, according to an international study, 39 percent of 15-year-olds still did not know what they would like to do in the future, while employers’ estimates showed that as many as 39 percent of the core skills required for work would change by 2030.
“While you are finding your path, the world around you is not standing still either. That is why it is important to receive a proper education, but also to develop the ability to learn, adapt and recognise new opportunities,” Juhász pointed out.
He spoke in particular about the fact that the opportunity to receive education in one’s mother tongue was an important part of Vojvodina’s education system and one of the values that should be preserved for future generations.
“Our multilingualism is not merely part of the past; it is a living value of our society. That is why it is important for young people to have the opportunity to be educated in their mother tongue, while also learning other languages, so that they are prepared for a constantly changing world,” Juhász stated, emphasising that preserving education in the mother tongue also meant preserving the language, culture and identity of a national community.
“Our responsibility is to provide young people with choices – to give them the opportunity to learn in their mother tongue, acquire quality knowledge and then choose for themselves which path they will take,” Juhász stressed out.
A day earlier, the traditional “EduExpo” event was also held for final-year secondary school students, featuring higher education institutions where instruction is provided in Hungarian. The participants were also addressed by Fremond Árpád, President of the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority and Burány Hajnalka, President of the Municipality of Senta.