Central Bank: Education improvements could boost competitiveness

Hungary needs to improve its education system, especially at the primary and tertiary levels, in order to boost competitiveness, the central bank’s (NBH) managing director said on Friday, presenting a report.

Studies show that Hungarian college and university students know their subjects but have trouble applying what they have learnt, Dániel Palotai said, presenting the central bank’s inaugural Competitiveness Report. Hungary has underperformed on standardised PISA tests, mainly because of digital deficiencies, he noted.

School curriculums should be based more on market demands, he said.

Hungary’s competitiveness would also be supported by better foreign language skills, Palotai said. Just 58 percent of Hungarian youth and 37 percent of adults can speak at least one foreign language, well under the European Union average, he added.

The NBH acknowledged in its Competitiveness Report recent government measures supporting education, such as higher teacher salaries, the introduction of teacher career paths, adjustments to the curriculum based on employer needs and a focus on the technical and natural sciences.

Source: MTI