"The reorganisation of the education system is one of the greatest acts of the past two and a half years", stated Viktor Orbán in an interview on Kossuth Radio's Sunday news and debate programme Vasárnapi újság on December 23. According to the Prime Minister, the education system must be run in and made to operate smoothly during 2013. He also stated that there is hope that the economy will begin to grow next year and there is a good chance that the plan to create one million new jobs over ten years may be realised.

During the interview, the Prime Minister took time to provide a detailed explanation of the reorganisation of the education system, which he said was needed because of the many problems that had arisen within the public and higher education systems, and as a result of the system's poor organisation.

He cited as an example that students often leave primary school at fourteen without having learnt basic skills, and often leave vocational schools without fundamental professional knowledge. He also mentioned that some high school graduates are unable to acquire the minimum points needed to continue in higher education, set at an extremely low 240 points. In addition, many leave college or university with degrees that they are unable to make use of in practice, while students often do not receive their diplomas because they lack the compulsory foreign language skills.

"This is why two years ago I said that we must begin reforming and increasing the quality of the education system", he recalled, stressing that meanwhile Hungary is full of talented children, loving parents and devoted teachers who care about children as "the labourers of the nation". Accordingly, he called the practically total reorganisation of the education system the greatest act of the past two and a half years, adding that the task for 2013 is to run in the new system and make sure it operates smoothly.

The Prime Minister mentioned the student demonstrations of the past few weeks, at which he recalled hearing similar statements to the ones he and his companions had also professed in the student movement they had organised in 1982. It may easily be the case, he said referring to the Fidesz party's student movement roots in 1988, that the current student movements "bring to the service talented people who might (…) eventually reach a position where they may be entrusted with large slices of our very important common issues, or even the whole cake".

Moving on to the situation of people with foreign currency loans, Viktor Orbán stated that although the communists and post-communists put the state and the local governments in a state of debt, people were inclined to forget this. But in his view, now that debt is no longer a distant phenomenon but instead "knocks on the kitchen door every month" because of foreign currency loans, people will not forget and will never forgive the socialists.

He however pointed out that 150 thousand such contracts had been successfully terminated through early repayment, increasing numbers of people are taking advantage of the exchange rate ceiling, and the cabinet was planning further measures to help families who had been cheated and were "trapped in foreign debt".

In reply to a comment on the situation of those living in poverty, the Prime Minister confirmed that he continues to profess that work is the only way out of poverty and so people in need must primarily be provided with work opportunities. 160 thousand more people work today than when the Government took power, he indicated, adding that he feels there is a good chance that the plan to create one million new jobs over ten years may be realised. The Prime Minister said he was a "prudent reveller", and this is why the Government undertook to realise this goal within a period of ten years, while secretly hoping that six or seven years might be enough, but the European crisis had made him more cautious.

Mr. Orbán also spoke of defending Hungarian interests, stating that "In Brussels we don't push forward at all costs, but we always make a stand for Hungarian interests. If we can't get there from the right, we try from the left; if the door has been blocked, we climb in through the window." It is important that "our efforts should not be pervaded with the sweat of extreme struggle", but with Christian serenity, he added.

However, the Prime Minister also stated that the fact that several Hungarian measures that had previously been taken exception to by the European Union, such as the levies on banks and multinationals, or the recently announced cut in gas and electricity prices, were being introduced into civil law by increasing numbers of EU member states was gratifying. "The Hungarian people would have deserved more support from Europe", said Viktor Orbán, adding that in his view Hungarian successes and achievements would help regain European support.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to express his opinion that, as has been the case on several occasions through the course of history, renewal from the crisis once again requires that Europe return to its Christian roots. In his view, Christianity is a culture of action, and so "instead of speculation and instead of accounting tricks", Europe as a Christian continent must once again learn to respect value-creating work and build a work-based society.

In summary, the Prime Minister stated that during the past two and a half years the Government had succeeded in reorganising Hungary to such an extent that there is now hope for economic growth in 2013.

(Prime Minister's Office)