“Seventy years? That’s quite a milestone” you might say. Indeed. The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium in Budapest celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2015. Let’s delve into the history of this institution.
The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium is a secondary school in Csepel. It offers both four-year and eight-year programs. The school’s story began uniquely. In the summer of 1945, parents initiated the school’s founding. The Szent Benedek Order from Pannonhalma was asked to organize and lead the school. This request came from the three Csepel parties. These were the Smallholders, Communists, and Social Democrats.
The new school was named after the Benedictine monk and inventor, Ányos Jedlik. It became Hungary’s first tuition-free. It was also co-educational and state-supported religious school. The first academic year started on September 9, 1945. There were five classes with 242 students. The first headmaster was the Benedictine monk, Hugó Vályi.
However, the Benedictines left the school in 1948. This happened due to nationalizations. In 1952, the school’s current building was inaugurated. Back then it was one of the most modern school buildings in Central Europe. Later, it became the ELTE practice gymnasium. A high-quality teaching staff began to form. The Benedictine traditions combined with an excellent teaching staff. This combination defined the school’s future.
Later, specialized training began. In 1990, a talent development eight-year class started too. It has since become the gymnasium’s most successful and popular form of education. In 2018, government resolution 2057/2017 created the financial resources for the school’s complete renovation. Teaching is expected to begin in the renovated building in September 2023.
The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium offers different educational programs. These include four and eight-year programs. Within the eight-year program, one talent development class starts each year. It has 30 students. The four-year classes offer five different specializations. Each specialization studies subjects in differing numbers of hours.
Every student studies two foreign languages at the Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium. Students in grades 5-8 study Latin along with English or German. From the 9th grade, the first foreign language is always what the student learned in primary school. This is either English or German. The second foreign language can be chosen from English, German, Italian, Spanish, French, or Russian. Students in the English language specialization study French or German as their second language. Students in the German language specialization study English. The basic number of hours for the first foreign language is 4-4-5-5. In language classes, it is 6-6-5-5. The second language gets 3-3-3-3 hours.
The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium helps deepen language knowledge. It does this through student exchange programs. The German connection with Hattingen has been around for 32 years. They also organize student exchanges with Portugal in English.
The school has had an internet connection since 1992. Wi-Fi is available to students throughout the school. Computers are freely available in the halls and library. Students can access many software programs for free at home too. The school is an ECDL exam center. Students can take the exams needed to obtain certification on-site.
Thanks to a European Union project, the school expanded in 2014. The project was called “Renewal of the methodology and tools of science education in the Csepel Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium.” It was supported by more than 300 million forints. A new laboratory equipped for science education was built. It features modern technology. The two classrooms can accommodate 18 students each.
The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium has been an Accredited Excellent Talent Point since 2012. The primary function of Talent Points is counseling. They offer career orientation and personalized information to talented young people. They collect and thematically offer services from talent management organizations. These organizations are from across the country and beyond.
The gymnasium has been an advanced level examination center since 2005. They generally hold advanced level exams in four subjects. Over the years, advanced level exams have been organized in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, biology, English and German.
The Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium’s past and present guarantee its future. It will continue to promote knowledge and humanity in Csepel. So ends our visit to Jedlik Ányos Gimnázium.