Hungarian educational system at a dead end

Thousands of students are left without diplomas because they could not get their foreign language certificates, 24.hu reports. Is there no way out of this situation?

Another sad statistics arrived regarding the Hungarian educational system: at the beginning of June we already have 91,595 students who passed their final examination but still cannot get their university degree because they do not have the required language certificates. Just last year more than ten thousand diplomas were given to students who finished their studies in the previous years but only now got the language certificates.

Since 2011, language certificates became a prerequisite to any higher level education degree. It was obvious even then that many-many students will not get the degrees they worked so hard for after finishing their studies. At the end of 2013, an initiative was started to help those who finished their studies but could not receive their diplomas because they lacked the required language certificates.

[button link=”#https://dailynewshungary.com/students-demonstrate-better-education-hungary/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Students demonstrate for better education in Hungary[/button]

There are almost a hundred thousand students who do not get their diplomas this year, and this number is way too big. Since 2006, almost 50 thousand students did not get their diplomas, which means that the number of students finishing their studies without a language certificate has grown drastically. It is not a surprise that the government decided to restart the initiative using different criteria. This new initiative will be able to help 1333 students, using 400 million Ft (1,241,000 euros) allocated to this cause.

The country can give 300,000 Ft (930 euros) in financial support to the students in the program. They have until March 31st, 2020 to present their language certificates. If they cannot, then they have to pay back the entire amount. The previous program helped 6499 students to hold their diplomas in their own hands finally.

What is the government’s goal with all this?

Even with this initiative, the situation still looks rather intimidating, especially since from 2020 on, students will need at least two language certificates to even apply to a higher education institution.  They would need one certificate to prove they are a proficient user of a language (level C exam) and a level B2 exam in another language, proving they are an independent user in that second language.