Scandalous: Hungarian government spends more on Hungarian students living in Romania than in Hungary

The school year has started, which means extra expenses for many Hungarian families. The Hungarian government gives some support to families, but under a new scheme, Romanian students receive more from the Hungarian state than Hungarians.

New school year, rising costs

The new school year has started in Hungary and is also starting in many countries in the region. The start of the school year is a major extra expense for every family in every country.

In Hungary, for example, an average school shopping trip for medium quality school supplies costs HUF 18,000 (EUR 46.76). This does not include school bags, gym bags and clothes, just pens, exercise books and folders.

In most European countries, the state provides support for starting school. In Austria, they receive EUR 100 per child on top of the family allowance. This is also available to families working in Austria but living in Hungary. In Slovakia, according to Eduline, families receive the money in October, but only first-grade children receive around EUR 110 (HUF 42,000) for starting school.

In Germany, EUR 174 (HUF 61,000) per child per school year is paid to families receiving social benefits. And in Romania, EUR 100 (HUF 38,500) is given to those who are considered needy.

The Hungarian state pays Romanian students

While Hungarian families living within the country’s borders receive nothing apart from the family allowance and free textbooks, the Hungarian state will provide HUF 100,000 in subsidies to elementary, secondary and university students who study in Hungarian under the “In Hungarian in the Homeland” programme from September, Eduline reports.

The scheme was still in place in 2022, but only a quarter of the amount was available then. The problem is not that the Hungarian government is subsidising Hungarian students abroad, but that it is not subsidising Hungarian students living in Hungary.

Not only do the families of children living in Hungary not receive a subsidy of HUF 100,000 each, but they also receive nothing apart from free textbooks. Local governments and foundations try to provide support, but in many cases, it is not enough.