Croatia and Hungary Sign Cooperation Program in Education and Science

The Minister of Science and Education Radovan Fuchs and the Minister of Human Resources of Hungary Miklós Kásler signed on Thursday in Zagreb the Cooperation Program in the fields of education and science for the period 2021-2025, which represents a continuation of the good cooperation between Croatia and Hungary.

– The document further attests to the extremely good, friendly, harmonious relations between Croatia and Hungary. The long-standing, centuries-old history of our two nations is fully expressed in cooperation and friendly relations – said Minister Fuchs during the signing of the agreement at the Ministry of Science and Education.

He emphasized that the way the issue of the Hungarian minority in Croatia and the issue of the Croatian minority in Hungary has been resolved, which enjoys all rights of national minorities – is definitely a model for how to resolve relations among minorities, perhaps even in some other countries within the EU.

– This program opens further possibilities for cooperation, introduces additional elements that will enhance precisely what we are trying to achieve all the time, which is the preservation of the cultural and national identity of our national minorities – highlighted Minister Fuchs.

He noted that thanks to the expressed desires and sense of need from national minorities, the Cooperation Program in the fields of education and science for the period 2021-2025 has received a new element – each country will send its teachers, not members of national minorities, but native speakers to refresh and improve the teaching of mother languages either in Croatia or in Hungary.

All other elements of the agreement, Minister Fuchs assessed, are a continuity of good relations between the two countries, and include the exchange of lecturers, students, and teachers, contributing to further improvement of relations between Croatia and Hungary in this area.

Fuchs also thanked the Hungarian government for its assistance during the earthquakes that struck Croatia last year, and especially thanked them for the construction of a primary school in Petrinja.

All drafts have been prepared, the necessary administrative tasks are completed, and the start of the first works is expected soon.

Miklós Kásler: Both governments attach great importance to public education and the inclusion of national minorities in education and culture

The Minister of Human Resources of Hungary Miklós Kásler emphasized that both governments attach great importance to public education and the inclusion of their own national minorities in education and culture.

He stated that this cooperation equally pertains to collaboration between institutions, students, and professors.

– This is a beautiful and important milestone in development and cooperation. Just as Hungary has expanded opportunities for public education for the Croatian minority, so has Croatia for the Hungarian minority. This is a symbolic step, but it is also important because it has enabled one state to assist another – said Minister Kásler, also recalling Hungarian assistance during the earthquakes and the reconstruction in Banovina.

In the context of the Agreement, he noted that Hungary has increased its financial investment three and a half times since 2010, rising from the initial 1.8 billion forints to over 10 billion.

– We must talk about material things because they enable good functioning, but I believe that the content is all the more important. The content is that we have 800 years of shared tradition and history within which we have lived in peace and enabled each other coexistence and survival in difficult times – added Kásler, stating that in this light, today’s signing of the agreement is important.

The aforementioned Program establishes the prerequisites for direct cooperation between primary and secondary education institutions, higher education institutions, and scientific and research institutions in the fields of education, science, and research.

In addition, it supports the creation of conditions for learning the language, literature, culture, and civilization of the other country, with an emphasis on supporting members of the Croatian national minority in Hungary and the Hungarian national minority in the Republic of Croatia, with the aim of preserving their language and culture.