Speaking at the foundation stone ceremony for a kindergarten in the village of Bakonysárkány in Komárom-Esztergom County, the Prime Minister said that Hungary has a government which stands by families, and which supports families in making the commitment to have and raise children. In order to achieve this, he said, the Government is employing every kind of measure, and shall continue to do so in the future.
He observed that nowadays in Hungary when people speak about the future it is generally in an anxious tone of voice. This is not so much to do with money, he said, but is much rather a question of whether there will be enough children in the country in the future.
Mr. Orbán said that a settlement which decides to build a kindergarten – as Bakonysárkány has done – is surely one in which there are people who have faith in the future.
The Prime Minister said that there will be a general election on 8 April, and there will be a national government in Hungary for as long as the current government is in office. He added that if by chance others enter office, they will represent something else – not the interest of the Hungarian people, and not the future of the Hungarian village – and then of course other decisions could threaten the Hungarian people. “On such a beautiful occasion as this, however, one should not think about such dire possibilities: one should only consider more attractive prospects”, he stated.
The Prime Minister expressed his trust that on 8 April and the subsequent period there will be a continuation of the cooperation which has been created between the national government and Hungary’s small settlements and villages.
He confirmed that after the election the Government will also launch the Modern Villages Programme, the aim of which is to develop those settlements in Hungary in which there are people who believe in their own future, and who will therefore create plans for it.
Katalin Novák, Minister of State for Family and Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Human Capacities, said that external solutions to the demographic problem should not be sought: the Government believes in the young people of Hungary, because they are the ones who offer the solution.
At the foundation stone ceremony for the kindergarten, which is being built with funding of 200 million forints, the Minister of State said that Europe is battling with a demographic crisis, but in the village of Bakonysárkány its school and kindergarten require continual expansion. She said that it is an indicator for the future that the village is striving to make it possible for villagers to send their children to kindergarten and school locally.
She said that the fact that attendance at kindergarten is now compulsory from the age of three is a huge step forward. Mrs. Novák further noted that the career structure for teachers is now also applicable to kindergarten teachers, and so their pay is higher now than it was in 2010. There are now 1,200 more kindergarten teachers than there were in 2010, she observed. She said that the village kindergarten will be ready for use in 2020.
Judit Czunyi-Bertalan, Fidesz Member of Parliament and parliamentary candidate for Komárom-Esztergom County’s Electoral District 3, said that the rising number of children in the village is proof of the rationale and results of the determined and progressive family policy that the government has launched.