Tree Planting to Commemorate the School Years

This weekend, in the days leading up to the matriculation exams, students were due to have their graduate ceremonies but not held due to the pandemic. A foundation is to plant tens of thousands of fruit trees to commemorate their years as students.

According to data from the Education Office and the National Office for Vocational and Adult Education, 74,000 secondary school graduates nationwide missed their traditional graduation ceremony in May 2021.

The 10 Million Tree Foundation has decided to replace this year's cancelled high school graduations with its own means of planting thousands of fruit trees to mark the end of the school year for graduating students. The native Hungarian fruit tree seedlings, symbolizing high school graduates, will take root and bear fruit across the country, growing and maturing with the class of 2021.

The foundation is asking for the support of the public for the campaign 'Fruit trees instead of bunches'.

The trees will be planted by the 10 Million Trees volunteer network, which covers even the smallest villages across the country, in areas suitable for their survival. They are mainly planted in private gardens, but also in public spaces where they are available. The Foundation gives graduating high school students and schools the opportunity to organise their own planting, even in the school yard or neighbourhood.