Expert: 30 thousand teachers missing from the Hungarian schools

A Hungarian education expert, Judit Lannert, believes Hungarian schools have reached a critical point with no room for further decline. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, she stated that the system is short of 30,000 teachers, a figure denied by the Hungarian government. Officially, the shortage is reported to be over 3,500 teachers in Hungarian schools.

Hungarian schools conceal problems

Lannert added in the interview that there are numerous methods used to improve statistics regarding the classes conducted. For example, in some schools, pedagogical assistants, who are unqualified to teach specific subjects, are nevertheless assigned to teach classes; in Hungary, such assistants only hold a school-leaving certificate. In other instances, retired teachers are brought back into service, or headteachers redirect specialists, such as special needs teachers, to cover regular classes due to the staffing shortage. Regardless of the method, someone always ends up at a disadvantage.

Lannert argued that the government should not maintain small schools in rural towns. Instead, she suggested creating high-quality school centres. In Western Europe, the average size of a secondary school is around 600 pupils, whereas, in Hungary, the average is only 300. She believes that Hungary needs to reduce the number of subjects taught. Moreover, a significant pay rise for teachers is essential.

The government attempts to solve the labour shortage by administrative measures. They reduced the length of teacher training and allowed soldiers above 55 to be redirected to schools to teach subjects, which outrages parents.