Students’ Day in Honduras Date in the current year: June 11, 2024

Students’ Day is observed on June 11 to mark the birth anniversary of José Trinidad Reyes, a Honduran poet, priest and educator. Reyes is known for his struggle against poverty, polemics in favor of women’s rights, and insisting on the universal right for education regardless of faith, level of income, gender and other factors.

José Trinidad Reyes was born on June 11, 1797. He began his religious profession as deacon and priest at age 28, receiving the orders from the bishop of Tegucigalpa. In 1847, Reyes and Juan Lindo, the President of Honduras, established the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras). Reyes was appointed as rector. Today, the National Autonomous University is the largest higher educational establishment in the country with campuses in several cities. It receives about 6% of the country’s budget.

Students’ Day in Honduras was created to celebrate Reyes’s contribution to the development of higher education in the country. It is thanks to Reyes that young people in Honduras have the opportunity to get quality higher education.