“For decades, this day has been an important occasion in the community of conductors, when we commemorate András Pető, the founder of conductive education, on the anniversary of his birth and death,” said Dr. Andrea Zsebe, Dean of PAK and host of the event, as she welcomed the guests. As she emphasized, András Pető’s creative work and daily struggles were dedicated to our fellow human beings in need of assistance and development. Already at an early stage of his career, he recognized that the holistic approach to training and retraining the nervous system – which he termed conductive or guiding pedagogy – was possible only through collaborative professional work, in which the knowledge of doctors and educators, their commitment to those in need, and their love for their profession play a decisive role.
She recalled that the institution named after Pető joined Semmelweis University as an independent faculty nine years ago. Since then, they have been part of a supportive community where they can continuously build their care system, develop their academic and clinical equipment assets, and expand their community and educational spaces.
The university provides us with ongoing professional training through our BA, MSc, and vocational programs both within Hungary and abroad. In addition, we have the opportunity to incorporate the latest advances in medical science into our developmental work – from screening for premature infants to complementary therapies and robotic therapy. This enables us to always take another small step forward: to develop our infrastructure and expand as well as renovate our educational and community development spaces at both of our sites. – Dr. Andrea Zsebe
The development, which supports students’ successful theoretical and practical training as well as their well-being, was made possible by targeted support from the rector.
“Semmelweis University owes a great deal to the András Pető Faculty, including the legacy and philosophy embodied by András Pető’s pedagogical system: empathy, love and care for those in need, and the fact that Semmelweis University students can come here and experience this work first-hand,” noted Rector Dr. Béla Merkely as he welcomed the guests to the anniversary celebration. As he said, the hard work and dedication here also served as an example for incoming students, and he was certain they would come to love this profession. He pointed out that progress at the faculty was tangible, with new developments being inaugurated every year, and added:
Research and innovation at the faculty have been strengthened, and high-tech solutions, including robotic therapy, have been integrated into children’s development. All of this contributes to our ability to develop highly complex and dynamically evolving educational, research, and therapeutic units here.
As Dr. Renáta Földesi, Vice-Dean of PAK and Director of the Institute of Conductive Education, stressed: András Pető considered the continuity of professional work to be important and strove to train the next generation – those who will carry on the legacy of conductive education. “He sought out the ability and potential in everyone because he knew there were many ways to do things well, but he never compromised on what mattered most: the right mindset, responsibility, professional humility, and the highest level of quality that the people we work with and our patients deserved,” the vice-dean underlined. She added that Pető’s method of conduction – that is, guidance – was also applied in the training of the next generation of professionals.
The university and faculty leadership, staff, and students honored András Pető by laying a wreath and placing single roses.
Gallery
As part of the ceremony, a space designed to support student learning and research was inaugurated in the “B” section of PAK’s Kútvölgyi Street building complex. Anilla Németh, Faculty Leader for PAK at the Students’ Union (HÖK), said in her welcoming remarks that university life was not just about studying and exams. It was also important what kind of environment surrounded the students and what opportunities they had for growth. She emphasized that, thanks to targeted support from the rector, a development project had been implemented that directly benefited students.
Róbert Tasnádi
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
