projects: Linguistic Centre LIK

The LIK Centre in Uzghorod (Ukraine) was set up in 1992 on the initiative of a group of graduates from the Uzghorod State University. Officially recognised as an association for the promotion of education and culture, it currently has 150 students annually and a staff of 15. It concentrates on the teaching of modern languages with an optional vocational specialism in the development of intercultural education and the promotion of intercultural co-operation. Furthermore LIK offers short intensive courses for the languages present in the Transcarpathian region for foreign students.

In Transcarpathian Ukraine a wide range of languages is currently spoken: Ukrainian, Hungarian, Russian, Romanian, Rom, Slovak, German, Jewish, Belorussian etc. LIK carried out a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ukrainian education system in using the curriculum in Hungarian minority schools as a tool for helping Hungarian students to integrate better into Ukrainian society by offering them appropriate language and history teaching. On the basis of this evaluation a model for Hungarian-Ukrainian bilingual education was developed. LIK organized a "methodology lab" for teachers and teacher trainers to encourage contacts among teachers from different language backgrounds and to foster the development of bi- or multilingual teaching material.