Anikó Raisz: the school garden development program is an important educational project

At the inauguration of the school garden of the Somogyvár Unified Special Educational Methodological Institute as a so-called mentor garden that serves as an example for other school gardens and helps their activities, Anikó Raisz emphasized that children need to get to know nature in order to love it, and if they love it, they will protect it, it will be natural for them. The Ministry of Energy is working to make this possible through as many programs as possible – she added. As an example, she mentioned that they announce an annual photo competition in order to protect small watercourses, that they support environmental education in primary and secondary schools with the Borrowed Air and Everyday Air programs, and that they also have numerous waste-related initiatives. The State Secretary drew attention to the fact that the Sustainability Week will be held in April, which will be expanded this year: schools can now invite experts to give immersive lectures several times a year, and children can visit businesses and learn about their sustainability practices. Anikó Raisz said that she would like to help teachers and schools in every way so that they can introduce children to sustainability and environmental protection in the most playful and natural way possible, and that she trusts that thanks to the programs, they will “unnoticedly” protect our environment for those who come after them.

School gardens are needed

Attila József Móring (KDNP), the ruling party member of parliament for Marcali and its region who is running again in the election, emphasized that in order to increase the population retention power of the countryside, it is necessary not only to build and renovate medical clinics, community centers, and sidewalks, but also to operate schools that provide opportunities to acquire the knowledge of plant production that goes along with rural life. Mátyás Izolda, a staff member of the Foundation for School Gardens, highlighted that 431 kindergartens and school gardens can operate in Hungary thanks to the school garden development program, which is unique in Europe and has been running since 2019. Praising the professional work underway at the Somogyvár Unified Special Educational Methodological Institute, he recalled that the school submitted an application in 2022 in the “beginning school garden” category, and its staff gained more and more knowledge over time. Thanks to their openness, their strong leadership ideas, and a lot of their own strength, they have now developed a fairy tale therapy path, a barn school, hosted a school garden festival, won the School Gardens Award in 2024, and this year they successfully applied for the mentor garden category, she listed. Edit Hódy, the head of the methodological institution, said that the pedagogical experience and tradition of their eight decades of existence oblige them to constantly seek the best opportunities for the development of their students. She pointed out that since children from kindergarten to vocational school age attend them – including children with severe multiple disabilities, moderate intellectual disabilities, and learning disabilities – experiential learning is of paramount importance. The school garden is a place where learning becomes tangible and experiential, during the activities carried out in the garden they experience the cycle of nature, their sense of responsibility, perseverance and cooperation skills develop – said the head of the institution.

MTI