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Without education, the values and experiences we consider important and valuable from past generations cannot be passed on. This statement was made at the international conference organized by MCC. The event aims to address the most pressing questions in education and to examine its future and anticipated trends. Over the course of two days, more than 50 speakers from over 15 countries are sharing their insights, including renowned experts such as historian and author Nicholas Tate, Angela Gandra, former Secretary of Family Affairs at Brazil's Ministry of Family and Human Rights, and Fernando Griffith, former Paraguayan Minister of Culture.
The two-day Budapest Summit on Education conference was officially opened by Zoltán Szalai, Director General of MCC, who emphasized the importance of education in his speech. According to Szalai, education is a prerequisite for cultural transmission. He highlighted that talent alone is insufficient without knowledge and openness. Szalai also noted that MCC Budapest Summit seeks answers to the most critical questions each year, whether it is the economic consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war or the possibilities for peace. He emphasized that MCC places great importance on familiarizing students with the diverse challenges they will face as adults.
In his keynote address, Frank Füredi, Head of MCC's Brussels, stated that current education systems are failing to address the future. He argued that, in Europe, the focus has shifted from character-building to an emphasis on individual personality, which fosters selfishness and self-centeredness in young people. Füredi also stressed the importance of passing on essential skills.
Ram Madhav, President of the India Foundation, underlined in the conference's first panel discussion—focused on conservative education—that education liberates and empowers individuals. He pointed out that in his country, education is not about cramming information into people's minds but about character-building, which is central to the educational philosophy in Hindustan. Nicholas Tate, author of The Conservative School, highlighted the growing influence of woke ideology in schools, which, in his view, could lead to the collapse of civilization. Joanna Williams, Director of Cieo and Visiting Fellow at MCC, argued that classical education must be defended but observed that traditionalists seem to accept their defeat.
The first day of the event also addressed topics such as the rise of political activism in schools, the discovery of talent, and the role of artificial intelligence in education.
The conference continues on Wednesday, featuring thoughts from distinguished experts such as Angela Gandra, former Secretary of Family Affairs at Brazil's Ministry of Family and Human Rights; Barry Strauss, professor at Cornell University; Anthony Malcolm Daniels, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute; and Marco Antonio Gonzalez Iturria, Director of Fundación Docere.
