Created: 2026.10.02. 12:20
Around 350 primary and secondary school students put their language skills to the test at an event held in Győr on 28 September as part of the European Day of Languages. Széchenyi István University participated in the event as an exhibitor at the headquarters of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while on 30 September, the University Library hosted further programmes connected to the international observance.
For the eighteenth time, Europe Direct Győr-Moson-Sopron, the Hatos és Társa Language School, and the Handicrafts Division of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly organised a programme marking the European Day of Languages. The event aimed to encourage young people to learn foreign languages and, through language learning, to discover and gain a deeper understanding of other cultures. Primary school pupils in the lower grades had the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity by designing posters, while pupils in the upper grades competed in teams of three in a quiz on the European Union. Secondary school students prepared five- to ten-minute presentations in English or German.
A total of 350 students from 19 schools across Győr-Moson-Sopron County took part in the competition held to mark the European Day of Languages. (Photo: András Adorján)
The day was complemented by a wide range of accompanying programmes. Students could assess their language skills through written mock language examinations, take part in mini language lessons introducing them to a variety of European languages, and learn about the programmes and opportunities offered by several organisations and institutions. Participants also had the opportunity to explore the educational opportunities available at Széchenyi István University and listen to a discussion with children’s author Judit Berg, Deputy State Secretary for Literature and Public Education.
Széchenyi István University presented its programmes and opportunities at an exhibition stand during the event. Pictured are Shen Zhi, International Relations Officer at the Centre for Languages and Culture and staff member of the Confucius Institute, and Eszter Tóthné Marek, Head of the University Library and Archives. (Photo: András Adorján)
The programme also provided an appropriate setting for the presentation of the Dr Szenténé Dr Vida Éva Award. The award’s namesake played a defining role in language education in Győr-Moson-Sopron County. As one of the first heads of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, the predecessor of the department at the Apáczai Csere János Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and as a former member of staff at Hatos és Társa Language School, she was a dedicated, broad-minded teacher and an outstanding organiser.
At the ceremony, the award was presented to Kinga Scholtz, a teacher of English and Italian at the Czuczor Gergely Benedictine Grammar School in Győr, by the award’s founders, Hajnalka Hatos and Professor Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at Széchenyi István University and daughter of Dr Szenténé Dr Vida Éva.
Gábor Ágoston Barkó, Principal of Czuczor Gergely Benedictine Grammar School; Hajnalka Hatos, owner of Hatos és Társa Language School and teacher at Jedlik Ányos Technical School and Dormitory of the Győr Vocational Training Centre; Professor Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at Széchenyi István University; and award recipient Kinga Scholtz. (Photo: András Adorján)
Széchenyi István University also joined the European Day of Languages celebrations with its own programme on 30 September. The European Documentation Centre operating within the University Library and Archives, in cooperation with the Centre for Languages and Culture and the Confucius Institute, welcomed visitors under the motto “Languages Unite Us!”
