Hungary

Facts about Hungary• Name: Hungarian Republic• Location: East-Central Europe (borders with Austria, Slovakia, Ukraina, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia)

• Area: 93,030 square km• Population: 10,300,000• Religion: Roman Catholic (majority),                      and Protestant

• Climate: Continental with Mediterranean and Atlantic influencesAverage temperatures: January -2C July 23C 

• Language: Hungarian (a very special language)• Currency: Hungarian Forint - HUF (1 EURO = 295 HUF / 22.10.2013.)

• Form of government: Republic (parliamentary democracy - 4 year election periods)

• Capital: Budapest (2 million inhabitants)

The Hungarian Parliament

Chain - bridge

Great church in Debrecen

University of Debrecen

The Primary School

• Reformed primary education in Hajdúhadház started when reformation was spreading. In the XVI. century there were only a few hundred citizens.

• The education of boys was thought to be more important than the education of girls: while boys learned not just writing and reading, but Maths and Latin, too, girls were only taught the basic level of writing, reading and home economics. Teaching took place at the dominie's home.

The Primary School

• After the Hajdús settled down and the population grew, a permanent school building was needed. The first reformed boys' school was built in the mid XVIII. century, next to the church.

• A major change in the life of the reformed primary school came at the time of the millennium, when a new, bigger, mixed school was built at the place of the church, using the bricks from it.

• There were six classroom for boys and six for girls, too. The expanses were paid by the city and the church together. The nice building was furnished with new pieces of school-furniture and visual aid.

Reformed Kindergarten and Primary School of Hajdúhadház

• The reformed primary school was secularized on July 1, 1948.

• After the shift of the Hungarian political system in 1989 the church could have claimed back the previous school-building, but they chose the money instead. It was more needed for the renovation of the church that was burned out in World War II.

Reformed church of Hajdúhadház

• In 2009, thanks to our pastor's, Csaba Pál's hard and persistent work, with the support of the local government a new reformed primary school could be opened again in the building of the earlier secularized school.

• Previously, this building was said to be unsuitable for education and students were integrated into the other two state schools of Hajdúhadház.

Chidren in the church

• At the time when parents decided to enroll their children to the reformed school, the building was empty and in quite bad conditions. The furniture and the whole inner part was ruined and cut a sorry figure.

• Still, the parents took the risk because they believed that even among poorer circumstances, surrounded with reformed values their children would benefit more.

• With the help of several sedulous hands the school-building was renewed. Thanks to religious organizations and school donations we got furniture and computers.

• The parents, grandparents, other helpful local and neighboring citizens and of course the staff's enthusiastic work made it possible to furnish the whole school by the beginning of the 2009/2010 school year.

• Because of the used furniture the sight of our school is not so homogeneous and there are still some missing items in the materials, but there is order and clearness.

• By now, we have managed to create such circumstances, in which the reformed values can prosper; where teaching and learning can take place calmly; where self-dicipline can work and where nobody has difficulty in respecting the others.

• Today the school has 270 pupils and 25 teachers. The pupils are between the age of 6 and 14.

• Our school is especially designed for young children with disadvantaged background, so we are very happy to take part in this project and give the possibility to our kids to study more and get to know other European schools and cultures, just like introducing ours.

• Although our school have always had many difficulties and many of our families live in really difficult conditions, we are extremely happy to host You in the near future and we are very thankful that we can work together with You in the different programs now and later on.

Thank you.