Ruling Fidesz party: Higher education amendment serves sector’s protection

Budapest, April 4 (MTI) – The amendments to the higher education law approved on Tuesday by parliament serve the protection of Hungary’s higher education sector, the ruling Fidesz party’s parliamentary group leader said.

The bill approved by lawmakers will require foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate under an intergovernmental agreement and to have a campus in the country in which they are based.

Speaking at a press conference after the vote, Lajos Kósa insisted that the amendments would not affect the operations of the university registered and accredited in Hungary under the name “Közep-európai Egyetem”.

He suggested, however, that Central European University (CEU), which is registered in the US, had exploited “loopholes” in the higher education law by awarding American degrees at a university that operates in Hungary.

Kosa insisted that such “loopholes” needed to be closed in order to protect Hungarian higher education, and rejected the suggestion that the law affects academic freedom.