The five advising undersecretaries are Katalin Bogyay, in charge of international relations, Károly Manherz, in charge of higher education, János Szüdi, in charge of public education and Márta Schneider in charge of culture. Overseeing the ministry?s financial affairs and administrative activities will be Ferenc Závecz.
Hiller said he knew the people he wanted for the tasks and was able to offer them positions within 45 minutes on the telephone. He said he was pleased to say that all of his choices responded with a yes from the start when asked to join him. Hiller has recruited a highly qualified and skilled group of like-minded people from the field of education and the area of culture to lead the ministry.
In response to a question, Hiller said the person in charge of affairs of church would be decided later. He added that he wished to find a representative for the major denominations and the minor ones in the course of the summer.
Arató said his task was to help with the minister?s work and support his decision-making.
Manherz, a dean at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), said the area of higher education would remain, as before, an especially important area. He added that he was very involved with the Bologna process, the EU?s strategy for creating a more uniform system of higher education.
Szüdi noted he had worked for the education portfolio since 1985 and said he hoped to continue developments in the area of public education.
Závecz, who will oversee the ministry?s financing and administration, said he aimed to set up a service centre. Hiller said of Závecz that he would create order where order was necessary.
Hiller said he had picked Schneider, a former deputy-undersecretary at the ministry and an arts sociologist, because he wanted to see a multi-faceted and rich cultural life in Hungary.
Hiller noted that Hungary currently operates 18 institutions in foreign countries and aims to set up many more, and Bogyay is up to the task. Having devoted her entire life to bringing Hungarian culture and other cultures of the world together, she has returned home after 13 years in London, serving as head of the Hungarian Culture Centre there.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
