LMP protests government’s plan to ban gender studies in higher education

It is up to academics to decide whether gender studies have a place in Hungary’s higher education, a leader of the opposition LMP party told a press conference on Monday.

Máté Kanász-Nagy, secretary of the national board, said that the government’s latest plan to ban gender courses “is another step in its war against science and education”. He said that while the government had narrowed access to free higher education, it also “imposed” government-appointed financial managers on colleges and universities so that “it can prevent any course or research citing financial reasons”.

Kanász-Nagy also insisted that “no faculty has been banned for political reasons since the political regime change” of 1989.

“It follows that from now on there is no autonomy, freedom, or rule of law in higher education”.

Referring to the human resources ministry’s claims that young academics majoring in gender studies were not needed on the labour market, Kanász-Nagy said that all graduates have found employment.

Kanász-Nagy added that his party would appeal to the ombudsman over the matter.

Source: MTI