The design of the building has been completed, and the first class will start in September in the institution operated by the German General Education Center of Hungary. German and Hungarian-speaking children are also welcome at the school – it was announced at the press conference held on August 26, 2022.
The Debrecen German Primary School was established by renovating and transforming the building under Sinai Miklós utca 4., which was once part of the opposite Vénkert Primary School. The renovation of the building was realized with an investment of about HUF 1 billion by BMSK Zrt. With the idea of founding the institution, the municipality of Debrecen approached the General Cultural Center of Hungarian Germans based in Baja.
“The arrival of BMW and other German companies clearly makes it necessary for the children of company employees and company managers who settle permanently or temporarily in the city and come with their families to have high-quality opportunities in the field of education,” said László Papp at the briefing held in connection with the handover of the building. The city manager added: that the aim is to strengthen the connection between the new school and the nearby György Dózsa Primary School, which offers the only German-Hungarian bilingual education in the city.
Member of Parliament Lajos Kósa emphasized that Debrecen has a centuries-old tradition of relations with Germany.
“When Debrecen embarked on the path of the Reformation, the students of the Reformed college regularly spent a long time in German-speaking areas as part of the pilgrimage. So knowledge of the German language was a public treasure in the city,”
– emphasized the representative.
The Debrecen German Primary School offers a four-year, free course. Education starts in an ascending system. Miklós Egri, the chairman of the board of trustees of the Public Foundation of the General Education Center of the Hungarian Germans, said: in addition to the institution in Baja, they also maintain schools in Kecskemét and Miskolc.
“Together with the school in Debrecen, we provide training for a total of 1,200 children and adolescents, from kindergarten to high school graduation and vocational school graduation,”
– emphasized Miklós Egri.
According to Peter Stübler, the German director of the German General Education Center of Hungary, the purpose of the school is twofold: on the one hand, to educate German children moving to the city, and on the other hand, to introduce Hungarian children to the German language.
“Children of two nationalities will study in this school. Learning and playing together contributes to bringing the two cultures closer together, which is a very important mission of our school. We want to create a German school here in Debrecen, which is not a German island, but an important and valuable part of the Debrecen community,”
– emphasized Peter Stübler.
The Deutsche Schule in Debrecen starts with one class. The education is structured differently from Hungarian public education institutions and takes place according to the curriculum approved by the Baden-Württemberg and the Federal and Provincial Committees Responsible for Foreign Education. At the end of the training, the students receive a certificate accepted in Germany, but their further education is also ensured in the Hungarian education system. Children learn about reading and writing, as well as the literature and grammar of their own nation in their own language.
Debrecen City Hall
