: 15th Century Shortcomings of the History and Location Education in the Hungarian Language in

Péter HANTZ University Lecturer, Babeş-Bolya i University of Cluj-Napoca / Kolozsvár

Head of the Education Committee, Hungaria n National Council of Tra nsylva nia

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16th Century 1910

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Ethnic Map of Transylvania Present

2002: 1,500,000 (6.6% in Romania and 21% in Transylvania) one of the largest minorities in Europe! 5 6

1 Discrimination against the Hungarian minority in Discrimination against the Hungarian minority in primary and secondary education in Romania primary and secondary education in Romania Kindergartens: -no severe problems in Transylvania ●Why Hungarian schools? -proportion of the Hungarian children: 6.58% -more efficient organization and control Elementary and Secondary Education: -higher quality of teachi ng -bilingual inscriptions -Establishment of the -protection against assimilation Hungarian schools was hi ndered -shelter against insults -Several towns still did not reach this aim: e.g. ●Why Cultural Autonomy? Torda (Turda) -simply because our 1.5-million community desires it Bánffyhunyad (Huedin) -more efficient organization and control Dicsőszentmárton (Tarnaveni) -higher quality of teaching etc. Establishment of professional/pedagogical Number of of Hungarian high-schools: 76 supporting institutions High-schools with a Hungarian section: 50 7 8

Discrimination against the Hungarian minority in Discrimination Against the Csángó-Hungarian primary and secondary education in Romania Community in Moldova

●Teaching and Examining the Romanian languag -no Hungarian Ki ndergartens th th -5 -12 Class: -no Hungarian schools Romanian as mother tongue for Hungarian pupils →unefficient learning -the community is intimidated -8th and 12th Class: Exams designed for native speakers of Romanian -the Hungarian language is allowed to be →discrimination (NCAD,126/5 May 2005) taught only in very few villages

●Teaching the History of Romanians and the -the Hungarian teachers are NOT official Geography of Romania: why in Romanian language? staff members

●Inadequate legislation for the religious schools -most of the cost are supported by

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Higher Education in Transylvania: Higher Education in Transylvania: The Beginning After World War II Principality of Transylvania: ~1526-1711 1945, Kolozsvár: Victor Babeş University Prince Báthory István, 1579, Kolozsvár (Cluj), Jesuits Bolyai University Medical Faculty at Marosvásárhely later: Other Romanian public universities 1959: forced merging of the Bolyai University with the Babeş University by Nicolae Ceauşescu and Ion Iliescu Prince Bethlen Gábor, 1622, Nagyenyed, Reformed Church

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2 Higher Education in Transylvania: Shorcomings of the Hungarian Higher After World War II Education in Romania

1959- Babeş-Bolyai University Situation in 2005 including Hungarian education, (official data of the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research) which does not meet our requirements Total number of students in Romania: ~650,000 100% - Medical and Pharmacy University of Total number of Hungarian students: ~29,000 4.4% Marosvásárhely/Tg. Mures (should be: ~44,000 6.6%) hard discrimination against the Hungarians Number of Hungarian students - Theatre and Film Academy studyi ng i n Hungarian (estimated maxi mum) ~11,000 1.6% - Protestant Theological Seminary

2000- Sapientia University Partium Christian University

financed by the Hungarian state! 13 14

Shortcomings of the Hungarian Higher Misleading Propaganda of the Romanian Education in Romania Academic and Political Leadership There is NO public Hungarian higher education, Publishing papers among others in the following fields: and information materials with straight lies •Fine Arts •Agricultural Sciences •Forestry •Veterinary Medicine •Engineering Sciences Electrical engineering -making leaders out of Hungarian professors who do not Mechanical engineering represent the interests of the Hungarian community Civil engineering etc. -voting contradictory regulations -trying to intimidate Hungarian professors

15 -paying for misleading papers and exhibitions 16

The demands of the Hungarians in Doublethink Transylvania (Orwell: 1984) • Re-establishment of the public Hungarian Bolyai University - as a first, URGENT step: establishment of Hungarian faculties at the Babeş-Bolyai The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind University simultaneously, and accepting both of them... - as soon as possible : 25% of the Babeş-Bolyai University’s infrastructure should be To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to given to the future Bolyai University forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it • Sapientia University and Partium Christian University should be becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion just for financed by Romania as well as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective we are paying taxes to Romania, not to Hungary... reality and meanwhile to take account of the reality which one • Autonomy should be given to the Hungarian public and higher denies—all this is indispensably necessary. education

These demands were supported by 600,000 signatures ! (without any results...)

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3 Protests: 2005 and 2006 December 2006: Protests Against the Firing of Two Lecturers

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Thank you for your attention!

www.bolyai.eu

www.eurolang.net, 11/12/2006

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4 1959: Forced merging of the Babes and Bolyai Universities

• The “Bolyai” university was liquidated under the supervision of N. Ceausescu and I. Iliescu Babeş-Bolyai University • “Foundation” of the Babes-Bolyai University Kolozsvár / Cluj-Napoca / Klausenburg • 1960-1990: the Hungarian sections were atrophied, finally eliminated

Dr. Lehel István KOVÁCS Assistant Professor, Vice-President of the Bolyai Initiative Committee

How the demands to eliminate discrimination After 1990 were rejected

1990: The DAHR asked for the re-establishment of the Bolyai University, without any results

1995: The DAHR collected over 500,000 signatures in order to support the Amendament of the Law of Education, without too much results

1998: Two bills on the establishment of a state-financed Hungarian-language University were submitted, and later rejected

2004: Attempts to establish Hungarian faculties at the University failed

2005: 83% of the involved Hungarian profesors asked for Hungarian • 1990: Petitions and demonstrations demanding Faculties, without any results the re-establishment of the Bolyai University The three Hungarian university leaders (influenced by the intolerant • 1992-: Hungarian groups at several faculties University management) did not sign the petition! • 1994-: The “multicultural” Babes-Bolyai University

The demonstrations continued… How the demands to eliminate discrimination were rejected October 2005: February 2006: 11 Nobel, Wolf and Fields laureates, along with 70 we ll-known acade mics asked for the re -establishment of the Bolyai University – without any results February 2006:

April 2006: Leaders of the DAHR, Hungarian Churces and civil organizations from Romania submitted a petition without any results.

1 How the demands to eliminate discrimination The resistance continued… were rejected July 2006: The university management tried to intimidate Hungarian October 2006: professors: leaders of the Bolyai Initiative Committee examined by the ETHICS COMMITTEE

“they undermine the repute of the multicultural university” The Hungarian professors were punished.

The situation at this “multicultural” university Decision-making •21Faculties: Senate 15 with Romanian and Hungarian “lines” -Academic Council Rector There are 2 Hungarian faculties: Hungarian Vice-Rectors Romano Catholic and Protestant Theology Faculties • There are 105 specializations, 52 in Hungarian, 13 in -Professors' Council German and 4 in English Departments Hungarian Vice-Deans

The Hungarian “line of studies” has no autonomy! The Hungarian community is underrepresented • Contradictioins of the University Charta in the University management! • We want autonomy to increase the quality of teaching! The Hungarian language is not an official language of the University!

Proportions Symbols: Rectory Hallway – only with Students: Romanian Rectors 34000 Romanians , 11000 Hungarians Full-time Students: 25000 Romanians, 6500 Hungarians Professors: Out of 1700, only 230 Hungarians There are not enough Hungarian professors, among others, at the 1581 • Faculty of Law • Faculty of Economics • Faculty of Geology and Biology

2 Denominated lecture halls Lack of Hungarian and German Inscriptions

False propaganda Official University newsletter: only in Romanian

Diplomas: only in Romanian

Hungarian inscriptions: Removed!

December 5th, 2005 3. The multicultural organization of the “Babeş-Bolyai” University is the most developed one in Europe with respect to ensuring education in the mother tongue and autonomous decision-making. It could be proven, without doubt, comparing the “Babeş-Bolyai” University with any of the multilingual European universities (of Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Macedonia or any other country’s with multilingual university) that the University of Cluj provides the most comprehensive tuition program in the mother tongue and the most extensive autonomy in decision-making. (…)

Protests Against the Firing of Two Lecturers

Thank you for your attention!

www.bolyai.eu

3 • Since the fall of the communist dictatorship, the Hungarian community in Transylv ania, Romania have been demanding the re-establishment of the Hungarian-language state univ ersity. Their demand has nev er been fulfilled. • Babes-Bolyai University, where 6,000 full-time • The Hungarian academic community of the Hungarian students pursue their studies, is a University demanded on several occasions the Babes-Bolyai University: sel f-pr o cl ai med “ mu l ti cul tu r al ” un i ver si ty. placement of multilingual inscriptions. • However, the university does not fulfil even • The University Senate made a decision in this the minimum requirements of multiculturalism. respect. Moreover, the management deceived A home of intolerance The inscriptions – including those placed on the Hungarian teaching staff in 2005, promising the facade of the University, are exclusively in that Hungarian inscriptions would be placed Romanian. within a few weeks. Nothing happened ever since…

Hungarian signs removed by University officials Cluj-Napoca, Romania • November 21, 2006

Moreover, the University printed a brochure, which states that there are multilingualinscriptions at the University.

Doublethink (Orwell: 1984) A lecture hall was named after Endre ADY, a Hungarian poet. H o wever , th e Uni ver si ty tol er ates on ly a Romanian inscription on The power of holding two the door of this room. contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient.

Therefore, Hungarian teachers decided to place Hungarian inscriptions themselves.

Other “dangerous” signs, like “No smoking”, “Information”, etc., have also been immediately removed.

The erection of a memorial plaque in three languages, instead of one with only in the Romanian language, has also been blocked on the orders of the University management .

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