At a workshop held in the banquet hall of the town of Lendava on the 21 January 2025, managers, teachers and trainers from Slovenian and Zalaegerszeg educational institutions learned about the network of secondary and higher education institutions and their interfaces in the border area (Mura region and Zala county). The MURA ZALA Institution Leaders’ Workshop was organised by the Municipality of Lendava, the Hungarian Youth Organisation of the Muravian Region (MMISZ) and the Foundation for Economic, Informatics and Technical Training of Zalaegerszeg as partners of the MURA-ZALA Youth Community project.

At the beginning of the programme, Janez Magyar, Mayor of Lendava Municipality, welcomed the participants. In his speech he stressed the close link between education and the economy. Education not only provides students with knowledge, but also gives them the opportunity to find a job in the local economy.  The mayor  stressed the importance of summer student work, which helps young people to gain experience in the labour market and also benefits companies by working with young talent. Janez Magyar spoke about the success of town twinning, in which sport plays a mediating role. He referred to the economic development of Lendava, its rich history and its cultural and religious diversity. The mayor stressed the importance of training and supporting young people. A system from kindergarten to higher education is the basis for the development of the local community. Cooperation with educational institutions aims to provide young people with the right knowledge and experience to contribute to the region’s economy.

Dr Annamária Gróf, Secretary of the Muravian Teachers’ Association, continued with a presentation on the Slovenian bilingual education system. We also found it out that the education system is based on bilingual institutions, which provide bilingual education at all levels, from kindergarten to secondary school. Mother tongue and Slovene are taught in parallel and literacy is taught in the mother tongue. The system aims to provide students with a high level of proficiency in both languages. The parallel education system, introduced in 2012, allows students to learn Hungarian and Slovenian at the same time, adapting to the needs of families and communities. Currently, only a limited number of higher education options in Slovenia are available in Hungarian, which poses a problem for the training of Hungarian-speaking teachers and undermines the sustainability of bilingual education. Dr. Annamária Gróf stressed the importance of bilingual education and minority rights, as well as the challenges and opportunities of preserving cultural and linguistic heritage. The further development of the education system and the active participation of the community are essential for the maintenance of Hungarian identity in Slovenia.

Following, Tibor Tomasic, Deputy Director of the Bilingual Secondary School in Lendava, presented the courses offered by the school. In several subjects, students can learn from textbooks in Hungarian and Slovenian. The institution offers training in 16 areas of vocational training, vocational secondary school and grammar school.

Péter Decsi, the Director General of the University of Pannonia Zalaegerszeg presented the University of Pannonia Zalaegerszeg and its training portfolio, highlighting the links between the two institutions in the fields of economics and engineering. Ildikó Palányi, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration in Zalaegerszeg, presented the model curriculum of the Bachelor of Business Administration and Management.

István Varga, the professional head of the Zalaegerszeg School District Centre, presented the network of secondary public education institutions in Hungary, with special emphasis on Zala County.

President Patrik Bogar gave information about the activities and programmes of the Hungarian Youth Organization of Muravidék (MMISZ).

The official part of the programme was closed by a round table discussion led by István Jóna István, the communication officer of the University of Pannon University Centre of Zalaegerszeg, who looked for the points of connection between the institutions, solutions for widening the enrolment opportunities, the organisation and implementation of tenders, good practices and joint programmes. At the end of the event, the participants were shown the sights of Lendva and then visited the classrooms of the Bilingual Secondary School.

Participants hope that the active relationship between the two regions, as a result of the event and its experiences, will open up new opportunities for joint partnerships between secondary and higher education institutions, job creation and the retention of young people.

Photos by MURA-ZALA Youth Community