Comments from Szülői Hang – Parents’ Voice, Hungary

14 March, 2025, Budapest – info@szuloihang.hu 

Serious shortage of teachers. 

  • Situations are widespread where schools cannot provide teachers with appropriate qualifications. There are frequent changes of teachers, there are many groups and classes with too many students, and so on. 
  • Misleading official documentation hides teacher shortage. In the official books (“KRÉTA” electronic system used in schools) classes are documented as if they were properly held, therefore teacher shortage is deliberately hidden in the official statistics. 
  • The outlook is also bad: too many teachers are close to retirement, and the teaching profession is very unpopular among young people. Universities fill up the places by lowering the entrance conditions, even students with very low grades are accepted. 
  • Higher wages are not sufficient to make the teaching profession attractive. Less overload, more autonomy, more respect and professional governmental leadership would also be needed. 

New legislation allows soldiers to be commanded to schools. 

  • Shocking legal amendments were agreed by the Hungarian Parliament in June that allows for soldiers over 55 years to be commanded to schools, even if they do not have the proper qualifications. In that case they are provided with training, and then allowed to take even educational and teaching roles. 
  • We are protesting the law with our petition. The legislation is completely unacceptable, and against European values.
  • Government says sending soldiers to schools is currently “not on the agenda”, but the law remains effective and could be applied anytime. Soldiers are not acceptable in schools even in assisting roles. 

Risk of unequal opportunities due to government’s plan to grade competence measurement test 

  • Government has published planned legislation to grade competence measurement test results, and take it into account for secondary school gymnasium entrance 
  • Consequently families will be pushed to take extra private classes outside schools, increasing the already significant “shadow education”. Those who cannot afford it would be left behind. 
  • One reason for the plan could be the government’s push for the newly introduced performance based salary system for teachers. But that system cannot be corrected this way.
  • Government is planning to radically reduce places in gymnasiums, and prefers vocational training. A minimal threshold for the written exam is already introduced as a “recommendation”, and competence measurement results may also be used for this purpose. This will prevent many students from receiving quality education and leads to higher levels of segregation.  
  • We are opposing these plans in our petition and open letter. 
  • Plan was put on hold for this year due to protests, but may be resumed later on

Bad experiences and results for new system for delayed start of primary school 

  • In Hungary the change from kindergarten to primary school is difficult, and many children cannot cope with it and start school too early when they are not mature enough. 
  • Government introduced a new bureaucratic system in 2020 which was heavily opposed by all parties concerned.
  • Even though most of the parents’ requests are granted, thousands of children are left out due to bureaucratic and humiliating procedures and the lack of proper governmental support for when and how to apply. Feedback shows that the system is very discriminatory. We are providing voluntary help in an effort to reduce the damage. 
  • At a shockingly high rate, one out of 24 children have to repeat the first class in school. 
  • Especially families of lower social status are exposed and left behind. 

Lowering the quality in kindergardens

  • Government plans to rearrange kindergarden education, and make the last year focusing on preparation for school.
  • The plan is not addressing the real problem, that the first year of the school is not well suited to the needs of the children and too stressed. Instead, government plan makes even the kindergarden more stressed with school preparation.
  • The plan would result in a change where many of the kindergarden groups with mixed ages cannot be maintained any more, and instead kindergardens will be forced to be re-arranged into homogeneous age groups.
  • We think that kindergardens should be about free play, under competent supervision so that children can develop freely.
  • The plan is linked with lowering the quality of kindergardens, due to the introduction of secondary school qualifications for kindergarden teachers, as opposed to requiring a university degree. This is effectively a cost cutting measure of the government.
  • We are opposing these plans in our petition

Cost cutting for out-of-class activities

  • The system is going into “survival mode” due to teacher shortage and lack of financial support and reduces extra activities, e.g., excursions, special interest group activities.
  • One example is that the government discontinues the motivating 2 class/week PE reduction for those who take regular sports activities in the afternoon. This leads to less students going for afternoon sports activities; smaller choice of sports in schools, and only those who can afford it can take part in competitive sports activities. We were protesting this in our petition. 

No sufficient support for children with special needs

  • Many schools cannot provide the required development for students with special needs, disabilities or disadvantaged social background.
  • Severe shortage of special education teachers, assistants, psychologists. 
  • Half of the families are forced to pay extra for private development, but many parents cannot afford it. 

No freedom of choice of textbooks

  • Teachers have no real choice of textbooks to use. Typically only 2 text-books are available to choose from, both of them are state-published, in many cases with quality issues. 
  • So far it has been possible to use alternative textbooks in case the parents are ready to cover the costs, but the government introduced new legislation to prevent even this option.
  • Lack of choice for textbooks makes opportunities even more unequal for students. 

Communication with the government

  • Our feedback to the government is ignored.
  • Government’s official “responses” do not seriously address the issues. 
  • Government is not open for meaningful dialogue with independent NGOs like us, and there is no meaningful parliamentary debate either. 
  • Government or government-friendly media tries to discredit anyone who openly criticizes the government.
  • No financial support for any organization that is not friendly to the government. EU support is stigmatized as “foreign intervention”. 

Summary

  • The Hungarian educational system is in a serious crisis, quality is deteriorating. 
  • The government has no known strategy that would make things better. 
  • Government put low priority on education, with the responsibility of the education system assigned to the police chief. 
  • Parents are desperate and have nowhere to turn to with the serious nationwide problems.