Babeş-Bolyai UniversityKolozsvár / Cluj-Napoca / Klausenburg

Dr. Lehel István KOVÁCSAssistant Professor,

Vice-President of the Bolyai Initiative Committee

• The “Bolyai” university was liquidated under the supervision of N. Ceausescu and I. Iliescu

• “Foundation” of the Babes-Bolyai University

• 1960-1990: the Hungarian sections were atrophied, finally eliminated

1959: Forced merging of the Babes and Bolyai Universities

After 1990

• 1990: Petitions and demonstrations demanding the re-establishment of the Bolyai University

• 1992-: Hungarian groups at several faculties

• 1994-: The “multicultural” Babes-Bolyai University

How the demands to eliminate discrimination were rejected

1990: The DAHR asked for the re-establishment of the Bolyai University, without any results

1995: The DAHR collected over 500,000 signatures in order to support the Amendament of the Law of Education, without too much results

1998: Two bills on the establishment of a state-financed Hungarian-language University were submitted, and later rejected

2004: Attempts to establish Hungarian faculties at the University failed

2005: 83% of the involved Hungarian profesors asked for Hungarian Faculties, without any results

The three Hungarian university leaders (influenced by the intolerant University management) did not sign the petition!

October 2005:

February 2006:

The demonstrations continued…

How the demands to eliminate discrimination were rejected

February 2006: 11 Nobel, Wolf and Fields laureates, along with 70 well-known academics asked for the re-establishment of the Bolyai University – without any results

April 2006: Leaders of the DAHR, Hungarian Churces and civil organizations from Romania submitted a petition without any results.

How the demands to eliminate discrimination were rejected

July 2006: The university management tried to intimidate Hungarian professors: leaders of the Bolyai Initiative Committee examined by the ETHICS COMMITTEE

“they undermine the repute of the multicultural university”

The Hungarian professors were punished.

The resistance continued…

October 2006:

The situation at this “multicultural” university

• 21 Faculties:

15 with Romanian and Hungarian “lines”

There are 2 Hungarian faculties:

Romano Catholic and Protestant Theology

• There are 105 specializations, 52 in Hungarian, 13 in German and 4 in English

The Hungarian “line of studies” has no autonomy!

• Contradictioins of the University Charta

• We want autonomy to increase the quality of teaching!

Decision-making

Senate -Academic CouncilRector

Hungarian Vice-Rectors

Faculties -Professors' Council

DepartmentsHungarian Vice-Deans

The Hungarian community is underrepresented in the University management!

The Hungarian language is not an official language of the University!

Students:34000 Romanians , 11000 HungariansFull-time Students:25000 Romanians, 6500 Hungarians

Professors:Out of 1700, only 230 Hungarians

There are not enough Hungarian professors, among others, at the

• Faculty of Law• Faculty of Economics• Faculty of Geology and Biology

Proportions

Symbols: Rectory Hallway – only with Romanian Rectors

1581

Lack of Hungarian and German Inscriptions

Denominated lecture halls

Official University newsletter: only in Romanian

Diplomas: only in Romanian

False propaganda

December 5th, 2005 3. The multicultural organization of the “Babeş-Bolyai” University is the most developed one in Europe with respect to ensuring education in the mother tongue and autonomous decision-making. It could be proven, without doubt, comparing the “Babeş-Bolyai” University with any of the multilingual European universities (of Italy, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Macedonia or any other country’s with multilingual university) that the University of Cluj provides the most comprehensive tuition program in the mother tongue and the most extensive autonomy in decision-making. (…)

Thank you for your attention!

www.bolyai.eu