This year it is Slavonic countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Russia, and the Unkraine that represent themselves with close to 50, the highest number of participants. They are followed by the Anglo-Saxon countries: Canada, Great Britain, the United States and New Zealand with about thirty students. Nyári Egyetem is also rather popular among Asian students, we have had students arriving from as far-away oriental countries as Indonesia, Taiwan, and Israel. The oldest student is 78 years old, and the youngest is 15.
- In previous centuries peregrines roamed the world, setting out from Debrecen, as attested by the glass windows of the Aula of the University of Debrecen, signalling that fostering international relations has always been important for the city. Today this manifests itself in the fact that the university welcomes foreign students who wish to study at our university, said László Csernoch at the press conference before the opening. The vice rector for academic affairs stressed the importance of the role of the Summer School saying that fostering the Hungarian language and culture is just as important as creating educated people.
It is a historical tradition of Debrecen that it is a leader in preserving and disseminating Hungarian culture, building a bridge between foreign countries and Hungary. A good example of this is the launch of the international school, the German language elementary and secondary school as well as the strengthening of the dual language training, said vice mayor Lajos Barcsa, who also finds it important that the city’s economic relations should also strengthen to a similar extent.
More than half of the students are either scholarship holders or receive some kind of discount. Most can study on the scholarships of the Tempus Foundation, five students receive scholarships from the city of Debrecen, Sumen, Debrecen’s twin city, also sponsors a student and there are four who come supported by the Cleveland Hungarian Community.
One of the best partners of Debrecen Nyári Egyetem is the Faculty of Arts (BTK), whose teachers and students are active participants of the teaching as well as the free time activities.
This cooperation, which goes back decades, is not confined only to involvement in the summer courses, since we have a cooperation with Chinese universities sending students to our university who will acquire Hungarian as a foreign language at the University of Debrecen, eventually receiving degrees, stressed Péter Csatár. The vice dean of the Faculty of Arts said that the first preparatory course leading up to a three-year training could not be achieved without the work of the teachers of the Summer School.
Péter Csatár said that the Faculty of Arts is offering one teacher’s and one student’s scholarship this year, which have been awarded to a Chinese and a Japanese student of the Summer School, respectively.
– To revive the summer school by preserving its traditions -this was the objective I was led by ten years ago, said Péter Szaffkó , who took over leadership of the Summer School a decade ago. – In addition to the language classes, it is also important to organise various activities in small groups though which our students can acquire further cultural knowledge about Hungary. This way our students can further be stimulated to learn Hungarian, stressed the director of Nyári Egyetem.
Those interested in litrature are offered reading comprehension classes while those who would like to find out more about Hungarian cuisine can visit the programme „Hungarian cuisine”, where they can not only taste Hungarian dishes but can also learn to prepare them. FInally, students interested in the city and history can join sight-seeing by night every other week.
The Debrecen Summer School ( Nyári Egyetem) ends on 16 August.
Press Office - BZs
