The central academic year opening ceremony of the Ede Egán Vocational Training Center was held on September 29. At the event, instructors and students from the Berehove, Velyka Dobron, Pyiterfolvo, and Vyshkovo centers celebrated the start of the new academic year together at the Reformed Church in Fedorove.
The event began with the procession of the historical flags of Transcarpathia, carried in by students dressed in traditional folk costumes. Following this, Sándor Pősze, coordinator of the Greek Catholic Church of Pyiterfolvo, welcomed the participants.
The event continued with a worship service. A sermon was delivered by István Mészár, pastor of the Reformed Church of Fedorove.
After our national prayer and the anthem of the University of Rakoczi, the Kuruc-era song titled The Sorrowful Song of Ferenc Rakoczi, the invited guests were welcomed.
At the beginning of his speech, Zoltán Csirpák, Director of the Ede Egán Vocational Training Center, highlighted that the Center was established with the support of the Government of Hungary, through the collaboration and close cooperation of educational institutions in Hungary and Transcarpathia.
“This year’s academic year opening is a historical milestone in the history of Transcarpathian Hungarians, as our deeply desired dreams have come true. It is unique in Ukraine for a private educational institution, a vocational school, to launch vocational training in a minority language with 570 students,”
he said.
In his welcoming address, István Gyebnár, First Deputy Consul of the Consulate of Hungary in Berehove, pointed out that “an academic year opening in a church is more than a tradition; it is a profound confession that the acquisition of knowledge is not only an intellectual task but a spiritual one as well.”
Following this, classical music was performed by the Claritas trio. The performers were Kamilla Biró and Brigitta Varga, accompanied on the violin by András Király.
“It is a great joy for me that we can welcome the new academic year together for the eighth time. An academic year opening always means new tasks, new goals, and new opportunities. At the same time, it is an occasion to look back at where we started and where we have arrived, as well as to appreciate all that we have managed to build and preserve together,”
said János Rostás, Chancellor of the Vocational Training Centerin Mátészalka.
In his speech, István Csernicskó, Rector of the University of Rakoczi, emphasized that we are living in historical times, as the chronicles summarizing the 21st century will certainly include descriptions of Covid and the war.
“Meanwhile, albeit on a modest scale, we Transcarpathian Hungarians are also writing our own history. It was of historical significance, for example, when a few years ago we restarted Hungarian-language vocational training in Transcarpathia in cooperation with our Hungarian colleagues and partners. And now we are once again witnessing a historical event, as today marks the first academic year opening ceremony of the Ede Egán Vocational Training Center as an independent, Ukrainian-registered, privately-owned vocational training institution teaching in the Hungarian language,”
he added.
After the welcoming remarks, Tibor Becske, a first-year student majoring in electrical installation, recited Sándor Petőfi’s poem titled The Hungarian People.
This was followed by the oath-taking of the first-year students, which was read aloud by Alex Danku, a waiter student at the Branch Institution in Velyka Dobron, after which Zoltán Csirpák and the heads of the branch institutions officially inaugurated the freshmen as students of the institution with a handshake.
Subsequently, folk songs from magyarbőd were performed by the vocal ensemble of the Tulipán Tanoda in Berehove, prepared by teacher, Erika Kovács.
In her speech, Ildikó Orosz, President of the University of Rakoczi, evoked the figure of Ede Egán, who believed in Transcarpathia and in the diligence and talent of the people living here.
“It is with this same faith that we open our doors in Berehove, Velyka Dobron, Pyiterfolvo, and Vyshkovo. We believe that good professionals are and will continue to be needed, and that you will strive to master your profession as best as possible. I trust that this academic year will be a period of growth and strengthening for all of us,”
she concluded her remarks.
Following this, representatives of the historic churches invoked God’s blessing upon the first-year and upper-year students, the institution’s teachers and staff, and everyone present.
The ceremony concluded with the singing of the Szózat.
Anita Kurmay
