Coronavirus – Is distance learning available for every Hungarian student?

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, schools and universities have been kept closed in Hungary, and distance learning methods have been introduced, mostly on the platforms of Microsoft Teams and other systems. Although many reported that distance learning works perfectly at their homes, there are families in Hungary who do not even know what that is. 

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HVG reported that a 2017 study about digital learning divided Hungarian households into four groups. In the first group, there are families with no computers or an internet connection. In the second, there is an internet connection, but only one computer is available for two or three children. The third one includes families where there is an internet connection as well as one computer for two children. Last but not least, the fourth group includes families with an internet connection and one computer for each child. 

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Scientists believe that the first two groups cannot learn with distance learning methods at all. Their estimations may not be precise, though, as they do not mention whether the children have smartphones or how many members of the family use the available computer. 

The database showed that 12% of the students in sixth grade, 10% of those in eighth grade, and 7% of tenth-graders are not available online, and another 6-7.7% have limited access to distance learning platforms. All in all, 12-20% of Hungarian students have these problems. Every fifth student in primary school cannot learn with digital devices.

In grammar schools, the situation is better as the number of students with poor life circumstances does not reach the tenth grade. Those who are not available come from poor regions or have uneducated parents. 

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Another problem is that students who cannot attend digital classes already had problems with studying when schools were open. Experts estimate that these children will probably have to repeat the whole year when schools open or will finish the year with poor results. 

For example, 40% of students who are not online had a mark of 1 or 2 (in the Hungarian school system, 1 is the worst and 5 is the best mark) for their half-year semester. This is the case for 30% of the students who are online but have limited access. 

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• Coronavirus in Hungary

Source: www.hvg.hu