Zoltán Maruzsa, the state secretary for public education, held talks with representatives of teachers’ trade unions and told them about public and professional consultations to be launched this week about further wage hikes and proposals on public education, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
“The government’s aim is to further increase the wages of teachers despite the difficult economic situation caused by the war in Ukraine and related sanctions,” the ministry quoted Maruzsa as saying.
He noted that the wages of teachers had already been increased by 10 percent as of January.
Noting the result of an online questionnaire returned by tens of thousands of teachers last year, Maruzsa said that most of them supported giving priority in wage increases to teachers who work in poor regions or with highly disadvantaged children.
The draft proposals will be posted on the government’s website for feedback by professional organisations and the public.
The government is preparing to punish teachers striking to protest against the state of public education, a step “politically, professionally and humanly” unacceptable, the spokesman of the opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) said on Tuesday.
“It has turned out that András Lopussny, an attache for social affairs at Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the European Union, has recently asked representatives of Hungary’s allies whether their countries have disciplinary measures in place to punish teachers who go on strike,” Balázs Barkóczi told an online press conference.
The DK lawmaker said he had asked Justice Ministry State Secretary János Bóka about the matter at a meeting of parliament’s EU affairs committee on Monday, who responded as saying that “the attache had not acted out of his own will, but had asked experts at the request of the Hungarian minister who oversees the area”.
Barkóczi said that “the wages of the teachers who staged protests must be raised, their right to strike must be restored and those who have been unlawfully dismissed for lawfully staging a protest must be put back in their jobs”.
Teachers’ unions PDSZ and PSZ have called for another strike at public education as well as vocational education institutions from March 16, the national board of PDSZ said on Thursday.
They are calling for a two-day strike in public education for March 16-17 and a strike for an unspecified period starting from March 16 in vocational education, PDSZ said.
PDSZ submitted on Wednesday its offer to the court about the legally required minimum services during the strike, it added.
The Hungarian government has decided to increase the aid to ethnic Hungarian families sending their children to Hungarian schools, a state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office told a press conference in Cluj (Kolozsvár) on Wednesday.
Miklós Pányi also announced that the government would contribute to a school bus project by the Rákóczi Association, to be implemented in small settlements of Transylvania.
Pányi pointed to negative demographic trends in Europe, and said they especially impacted Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin. A decreasing number of children has caused problems in the financing of Hungarian schools, and “the Hungarian government must address that problem,” the state secretary said.
Providing school buses could be key in ensuring access to education in Hungarian, Pányi said. This could be crucial for Hungarian families, communities and schools in their efforts to survive, he added.
From January on, students of Hungarian schools in Ukraine receive a gross HUF 100 (EUR 262), increased from HUF 22,400, while students in other countries will receive a similar amount from September on, Pányi said.
Csongor Csáky, head of the Rákóczi Association, said the school bus programme, launched in southern Slovakia last year, would be rolled out to a further 31 settlements in Romania. All together, the service will help over 500 children from over 100 towns to 34 primary schools, he added.
The government would declare the renovation of the building of a private Turkish school in Budapest to be a matter of top priority for the national economy.
After the renovation and reconstruction of the property at 52 Hernád Street in District VII, the Turkish Maarif Foundation Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary and Secondary School would start its operations in September 2024.
According to a regulation published in the Hungarian Gazette on Tuesday evening, the government has decided on the organisation and financing of the Hungarian-Turkish joint cultural year 2024.
Declaring the investment a matter of top priority
“The purpose of the investment is the renovation and transformation of the property at 33379, parcel number 33379, in kind at Hernád Street 52, 1078 Budapest, which was previously used to house a public education institution.”
According to telex.hu, the reason for declaring the investment a matter of top priority in terms of the national economy is to simplify and accelerate the administrative licensing procedures related to the renovation and transformation of the property owned by Maarif Hungary Property Ltd.
The organisation is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to who the Wise Men of the Organization of Turkic States would award the Nobel Peace Prize due to his successful mediation role in the Russia-Ukraine war. The organisation first opened a school in Budapest in 2019, in the IX district of Ifjúmunkás Street.
The Maarif Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary School and Secondary School is run by Maarif Hungary Nonprofit Ltd., which is owned by the Maarif Foundation of Turkey, according to 24.hu. The foundation was established by the Turkish government in 2016 and since then, several schools have been opened around the world.
The foundation was set up by the Turkish government after the failed military coup against Erdoğan in 2016. The coup was plotted against the Turkish PM by his former ally, the cleric Fetuallah Gülen, and carried out by soldiers who once studied in Gülen’s schools. In the past, the Turkish government had spent a huge sum on setting up schools around the world. These were set up by Gülen, who was still an ally of Erdoğan back then and who ran schools, colleges and even universities in almost every country from Venezuela to Indonesia.
According to the Maarif Foundation website, they currently have 429 educational institutions in 67 countries, including Hungary. In the European Union, besides Hungary, Romania, France and Germany each have an institution.
Viktor Orbán has met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at Karmelita. During the meeting, they agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations between Hungary and Turkey.
“Hungary is committed to the development of economic relations and will do its utmost to achieve the six billion dollar Hungarian-Turkish bilateral turnover,”
It has been three years since scholarships were last increased. However, that increase is nowhere to be seen today because of soaring inflation. Half of students in Hungary struggle to make ends meet, according to a recent survey.
With student spendings up by 10-25 percent in a year, most students are trying to save money. They typically spend less on entertainment, food and clothes, according to a recent survey. Student grants and social allowances were increased three years ago, but inflation has made them ineffective, Eduline writes.
Some of the monthly expenditure for a university student are as follows:
monthly student pass in Budapest: HUF 3,450 (EUR 9);
rent for an average apartment in the capital: HUF 145,000 (EUR 379) (if three people share the apartment, HUF 48,000 [EUR 125.4] each) plus utilities;
telephone bill, mobile data: at least HUF 6-7,000 (EUR 15.7-18.3)
On top of this come food, clothes, medicines, school fees, etc.
Since 2020, the minimum amount of the scholarship is HUF 8300 (EUR 21.7).
However, even this is not available to self-funded students. The average scholarship is not much higher, ranging between HUF 15-25,000 (EUR 39.2-65.3) per month, napi.hu writes. Those who are also eligible for social grants can expect to receive at least HUF 16-32,000 (EUR 41.8-83.6) a month. However, for the majority of students, the amount of regular university grants – both academic and social – is still no higher than HUF 40-50,000 (EUR 104.5-130.6) per month.
The student standard allowance (hallgatói normatíva) is used as the basis for calculating scholarships and social allowances. This sum has been HUF 166,600 (EUR 435.1) from 1 February 2020. Of course, this amount will not be paid out to all students, but higher education institutions can use it to provide financial support to students with good academic results and those in need.
“Although not much time has passed since the last increase, this money has practically been devalued,” Marcell Eszterhai, president of the National Conference of Student Self-Governments (Hallgatói Önkormányzatok Országos Konferenciája, HÖOK), who has been in office since January, told Eduline. He added that tackling the problem will definitely be a major focus of his next two-year presidency.
Many parents are considering enrolling their teenage child in a foreign secondary school for a longer or shorter period. Spending months, or even years, in an international, mother-tongue environment undoubtedly benefits students in terms of their studies, personal development, language skills and friendships.
However, choosing the right institution and a secure environment, and exploring the possibilities, can be a headache, as every country’s education system is different. In some countries, students study 15 subjects, in others six or only three. For some reason, it is easier to get into Oxford University if you are studying 3 subjects at secondary school rather than 15, which is seen as a disadvantage rather than an advantage. In some countries, schools are all about learning; students take part clubs or trainings outside of school, in other organisations. However, in England, for example, all student clubs, including music and sports, are available within the school.
Despite the huge variety of countries, schools and curricula, there are many programmes that are recognised and identical all over the world. These include the British A-level programme, the International Baccalaureate (IB), the German Abitur and the American High School Diploma.
How should we choose between the many options? What should you look out for when choosing a school? What is the difference between the school system abroad and the system here? Which school and which programme is ideal for your child? There are many questions to ask – this article aims to provide useful information to help you get started.
United Kingdom – the leader of English-speaking secondary educatio
The United Kingdom is a country famous worldwide for its boarding schools, most of which have been in existence for centuries. Today, these schools are progressive, up-to-date educational institutions with excellent infrastructure, material and technical base, state-of-the-art laboratories, strong teachers, excellent conditions for sports and extra-curricular activities. The most important task of the school is to motivate the student, to create the conditions to develop his curiosity, his desires and his capacity to learn. “We teach not for school, but for life” – the motto of English boarding schools. Lessons are only one part of the teaching and learning process. A great deal of attention is paid to extra-curricular activities, which reveal talents and abilities that are difficult to show while sitting at the school desk. These schools have dance and theatre studios, music and art studios, and unlimited sporting opportunities.
Most graduates of private boarding schools go on to study at top universities not only in the UK but also in the Netherlands, the USA and Canada. The English school curriculum is now used in many countries, including Canada, Spain and the United States.
Type of school
There are schools that are more selective (entrance tests in several subjects) and less selective; co-educational or boys’ and girls’ schools. In addition to traditional boarding schools, there are also so-called “Sixth Form Colleges” for secondary school pupils, where there is no compulsory standard curriculum and learning takes place in small classes (6-8 students), with maximum use of an individual approach. Such schools are suitable for motivated students who want to manage their own time and prefer a university-like atmosphere.
The British system means that all students study the same subjects up to the age of 14, maximising their general knowledge of most subjects. At the age of 14, a two-year GCSE programme begins, at the end of which, at the age of 16, all students sit exams in 3-4 subjects directly related to their academic goals. For example, a student with a strong humanities background is not required to study mathematics, but can study history, literature and foreign languages in depth.
In Europe and the United States, many schools also offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) international programme, where students choose 6 subjects from a suggested block. They study 3 subjects at intermediate level and 3 subjects at advanced level. The IB includes a compulsory 4,000-word essay, voluntary work and a subject such as Theory of Knowledge. Universities around the world value the IB programme and recognise this qualification.
Choosing to study abroad is not easy; it is a very responsible step. However, the experience abroad can benefit your child in every way, so it is worth finding out more about the options. Here at home, the Baltic Council for International Education’s experienced advisers will be happy to help you choose the right institution and secondary school programme, and you will also have the opportunity to meet representatives from a number of schools abroad at the free Education Abroad Fair on 25 March (Crowne Plaza Hotel Budapest).
A record number of 1,151 students from Morocco have enrolled to study in Hungarian universities this year, a sign of recognition of the niveau of Hungarian higher education, the foreign minister said, after meeting Morocco’s minister for higher education and innovation minister in Budapest on Monday.
Péter Szijjártó and Abdellatif Miraoui signed an agreement on Hungary increasing the number of grants for Moroccan students from an annual 150 to 165 during 2023-2025, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In March, the rectors’ conferences of the two countries will hold a joint meeting and Hungarian universities will send teachers to give classes at Morocco’s largest universities, Szijjarto told a joint press conference after the talks.
On another subject, Szijjártó said the war in Ukraine had seriously affected Morocco, with most of its wheat imports coming from Ukraine and Russia.
He said both Morocco and Hungary had an interest in restoring peace in Ukraine as soon as possible “to have a realistic chance to prevent serious global challenges”.
Szijjártó called illegal migration to Europe one of such challenges, adding that in tackling it Morocco had an important role to play.
“The experience we have gained over the past 6-7 years is that migration pressure eases if there is stability in North Africa. This is why we highly esteem stable countries in the region, a line of defence for Europe, Morocco among them,” the foreign minister said. Hungary will have the opportunity to offer further help as its embassy will serve as liaison between Morocco and NATO from 2023, he added.
Speaking about bilateral economic ties, Szijjártó noted a continued development of cooperation. Bilateral trade last year increased by 16 percent, to a record 300 million dollars, he said.
About 10-20 percent of foreign students studying at Hungarian universities vanish and move to a Western European country. There was also a class where 30-40 percent of students disappeared without any information.
Foreign students in Hungarian universities
“There are a lot of talented young people from African and Asian countries. Many of them learn some level of Hungarian as well as English. The vast majority of them go home after graduation,” an education expert who asked not to be named told index.hu. He added that “university faculties can earn up to several hundred thousand euros from the tuition fees of foreign students”.
While there are many advantages to having foreign students, integrating international students is not always an easy task. There are many cases where students disappear after enrolment. Foreign students can travel easily with a visa and most of them leave for Western Europe.
“It is a smarter, less costly and more convenient form of migration. Children from wealthier African and Asian families can enter the European Union by air and with student visas. Here, they don’t have to trust their lives to people smugglers, climb fences or wade through the Mediterranean on tinder-boxes,” said the expert.
“The phenomenon is not unknown in the university sector. At institutions that have minimum admission requirements for applicants and charge low tuition fees, the proportion of ghost students is estimated to be between 10 and 20 per cent of all fee-paying admissions nationally,” said another education worker.
It is said that there have been Hungarian universities where 30-40 per cent of the students in the same year group became invisible to the educational institution and the immigration office in the first semester.
Is it a real problem?
Index contacted several major Hungarian universities, but only the University of Debrecen responded.
“Over the past 30 years, the University of Debrecen has developed a quality assurance system and practical procedures for its foreign language courses, which have made it possible to neglect the number of students who do not start their studies after arriving in Hungary,” said the University of Debrecen’s Press Centre.
About 1,900 foreign students arrive here every year, but because of the high tuition fees, hardly any stay. There are no exact figures, so it is not known exactly how real the problem is, and if so, how serious it is. There are no organised criminal circles behind it, hvg.hu reports.
Born in Kishunfélegyháza, Krisztián Kapus, 49, already has 23 degrees. But this is still not enough, he says: right now, he is studying in Szeged. On the way towards his 24th degree, he talked about his thirst for knowledge to Mandiner.
Krisztián Kapus is driven by the desire to learn, Mandiner reports. He finished his secondary school studies at the Piarist High School in Kecskemét. In the third year, he decided to become a doctor. Then, he thought one degree would be enough. However, a year later, as a senior, he was more interested in Hungarian literature and religious education. Thus, he went to Szeged to study and ended up not getting his first degree in medicine, but in Hungarian library studies.
Less than two weeks later, he obtained a degree as a Catholic religious education teacher in a correspondence course. Later, also in Szeged, at the József Attila University, he graduated as a computer scientist.
“I have a constant thirst for knowledge. If I immerse myself in a subject and I feel I want to know everything about it, I usually end up with another degree,” Krisztián Kapus told Mandiner. The man did not stop pursuing a degree even after obtaining the above-mentioned qualifications. He believes that his problem-solving skills have improved the most as a result of studying so much.
“I’m comfortable in many areas, and that helps me in my everyday life. And yes, I can hammer a nail into a wall or change a light bulb, so I don’t just live my life on a theoretical level,” he said. Kapus has never been unemployed and is constantly updating his CV, which is currently 37 pages long. “I always say, only print it out if you really have the time to read it,” he joked.
The Federation of Hungarian Trade Unions (MASZSZ) has called on the government to withdraw a recent decree under which employers could dismiss protesting teachers even months after the protest action.
The decree was clearly “aimed at blackmailing and intimidating teachers”, the federation said in a statement on Sunday, adding all unions were “shocked that the sword of extraordinary dismissal could hover over the head of a teacher that has expressed open protest just once.”
The government “won’t deal with the situation in education or find a solution to the problems of teachers [by resorting to such a measure]. Instead, they are demonstrating power in an effort to stifle actions,” the statement said.
MASZSZ head Róbert Zlati said his federation supported teachers and students “protesting for a great, common cause: for high quality and free education”.
Zlati said
the decree’s justification was “extremely cynical” when it said the new rules would benefit “rebellious” teachers because they would be “offered an opportunity to work with the children entrusted to them to the end of the school year”.
According to Zlati, the aim of the earlier rules, under which employers had 15 days to dismiss violators, was to ensure that employers would not leave teachers in suspense over a long period of time. “Removing that barrier offers a great opportunity to employers to blackmail or intimidate the employee,” he insisted. He noted that the new deadline for employers to decide if they want to sack a protesting teacher is August 1 each year.
The opposition LMP party said a government decree penalising teachers who have mounted protests was both legally and morally unfounded, and it demanded its withdrawal.
Teachers can be penalised for their current actions at any time until the end of the school year under the decree, the party’s deputy group leader Antal Csárdi told a press briefing on Friday, adding that the decree was contrary to the rule of law and a departure from the labor code. He said this deprivation of rights was more serious than the restriction of the right to strike, adding that the aim of the decree was to intimidate teachers who spoke out against poor teaching conditions and their hardships making a living.
Noting headline inflation of 24.5 percent in December and a 14 percent rise in the minimum wage, he said that by comparison a salary increase of just 10 percent was awarded to teachers.
The PSZ teacher union has claimed the government “has backed down” in connection with civil disobedience by teachers from Szentgotthard.
Most of the teaching staff, 29 teachers, “with their united stand proved that sacking an entire teaching staff when there is a big shortage of teachers does not work,” PSZ said in a statement on Friday, adding that it will join a strike announced by the PDSZ teacher union.
PSZ said it had promised to carry on protesting until the demands of teachers and the trade union are met, adding that they called on all education staff to participate in a one-week work stoppage starting on Jan. 23. The statement added: “What 2022 failed to solve, 2023 will!”
As we recently reported, the Hungarian government received a letter from the European Commission (EC) in which they informed them about the withdrawal of Erasmus support in regard to Hungarian foundation universities. Even though the government argued the EC had never indicated that they were concerned about the involvement of government politicians in university foundations, the Commission claims otherwise.
Following the Minister for Regional Development, Tibor Navracsics’ comment saying they were baffled by the case, Szabad Európa contacted the EC. The Commission confirmed that it had already informed the Hungarian government last year that
in the case of universities run by foundations, the transparency of the use of EU funds in the public interest was not ensured.
The Commission added that the Hungarian government had made commitments to resolve the issue. For this purpose, the government has amended two laws. However, the EC’s concern that senior political officials hold seats in the management boards of the trust foundations has not been addressed.
Although the European Commission’s decision concern thousands of students and teachers, it seems that the Hungarian politicians are reluctant to give up their board positions. In total, there are 21 universities that used to be state-funded institutions in the past, but the government has reorganised their management into trust foundations.
These foundations are
mainly run by Fidesz ministers, state secretaries, politicians or people with close ties to Fidesz,
Furthermore, many of them receive a salary of HUF 1-1.5 million (EUR 2500-3800) for holding university foundation positions. Among the members of the board of trustees, there is, for instance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó at Széchenyi István University, and the then Minister of Justice Judit Varga at the University of Miskolc.
The Minister for Regional Development, Navracsics, who is also the chairman of the board of trustees at the University of Pannonia, told RTL that the government would certainly take it into consideration if the European Commission asked them to remove politicians from the university’s foundation board.
When asked if he would be willing to step down as head of the board of trustees, he only replied:
The strike week starts on 23 January and ends on 31 January with Solidarity Day.
Following the March for Education, the Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (Pedagógusok Demokratikus Szakszervezete, PDSZ) is preparing to strike again. They wrote the following about the strike week and the Solidarity Day:
The announcement
“WE CONTINUE the walkout. The rolling strike notice remains in force. We are announcing seven days of national strike action from the Monday after the central secondary school admissions (21 January), 23 January. (Respecting the legitimate expectation of parents that children should not be disadvantaged in their preparation.) Each institution and community can contribute to this with its own solutions. The strike on 23 January must be announced by 16 January at 4 PM at the latest. This action will end with the announcement of a SOLIDARITY DAY on 31 January, the anniversary of the warning strike a year ago.”
As we have also reported, the March for Education reached Budapest tomorrow, after 180 kms. Around half past two, they arrived at Örs vezér Square, from where they went to the Kölcsey Ferenc Secondary School via Heroes’ Square. There, several of them addressed the thousands of people who had gathered.
The march started on Monday morning from the Herman Ottó High School in Miskolc and covered 30 kilometres a day, including several members of the Teachers’ Trade Union (PSZ) and the Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ), szmo.hu reports.
A march for education started from Miskolc, in northern Hungary, on Monday reached the Kölcsey Ferenc Secondary School in Budapest’s sixth district on Saturday afternoon, where student and teacher organisations held a demonstration.
The speakers, who completed the 180 km distance of the march, talked about their hope that a free and child-friendly education system would be established as soon as possible. They emphasised the importance of solidarity and pledged to continue what they started in education last year.
They also addressed the systemic segregation affecting the Roma in Hungarian public education and criticised the dismissal of the fourteen teachers who had been laid off for participating in civil disobedience.
Participants raised banners saying “No teacher, no future”, “Strike is a fundamental right”, “We want our former teacher back” as well as the national and the European Union flag and the flags of the teachers’ unions.
A Hungarian news outlet focusing on education issues collected the tuition fee rises in higher education. The findings are devastating. Eduline.hu argues that institutions of higher education are forced to increase their tuition fees because of the energy crisis. That is why winter breaks are longer in Hungary in the 2022/2023 academic year and why students will have to pay much more for their studies from this September. Below you may read the details.
According to eduline.hu, multiple universities are to increase tuition fees significantly. The “victims” in that respect are the economic majors, while you will not have to pay more if you plan to study arts, IT, engineering or medicine.
In February 2022, the deadline for application for the 2022/2023 academic year in Hungary, more than 28 thousand people wanted to continue their studies in economics. That is one of the most popular academic fields in Hungary. For example, the most popular program has been business management for years, and thousands would like to study that. However, tuition fees are to increase there the most.
An unnamed rural university will increase the tuition fee by HUF 25 thousand (EUR 63.2) per semester. The same is true for the trade and marketing, finance and accounting programs at that university. However, there are universities where these studies will cost HUF 80 thousand (EUR 202) each semester from this September.
The national average rise is around HUF 40-50 thousand (EUR 100-130). That means an extra HUF 300-350 thousand (EUR 800-850) financial burden for the students until they finish the 7-semester-long programs. The tuition fee for business management will be between HUF 280-550 thousand per semester (EUR 710-1,400) in Budapest. Meanwhile, that range will be between HUF 225-350 thousand at the rural universities. At some small rural institutions of higher education, the tuition fee will only be HUF 200,000 from this autumn.
Some law schools will also increase their tuition fee. In Budapest, prices will not change, but at universities in the country, students will have to pay HUF 10-15 thousand (EUR 30-40) more per semester. As a result, the average law school tuition fees will be between HUF 270-300 thousand per semester (EUR 680-710).
In the case of arts, IT, engineering, medicine, and teacher programs, tuition fees will remain unchanged. For example, medical schools are the most expensive in Hungarian higher education. They cost HUF 1.350 million (EUR 3,410) per semester.
You don’t even need a language exam, you can fail as many times as you like: it’s beginning to look a lot like a golden life for university students in Hungary. The admission rules are being overhauled as well. As a result, it will be practically impossible to drop out of university. On top of that, another language exam amnesty will arrive. Hungarian higher education rules are changing drastically this year.
No need for a language exam
So far, there were two main criteria for university students to obtain their diploma. Passing the final exam and presenting the required language test (at least a B2 complex in the case of a bachelor’s degree). Universities can now decide whether to ask students to take a language assessment or language exam. This decision also means that students who have already graduated will be able to get their diploma without a language exam, Eduline reports.
Previously, if a student failed a subject six times, the university could dismiss them. This is changing this year – you can fail as many times as you “like”. This means that it will be almost impossible to drop out of university. Of course, it will still be possible to lose student status, but only for disciplinary or financial reasons, Eduline writes.
State scholarships remain even with a worse average
It will be harder to lose a place on a state scholarship than before, napi.hu reports. This is because higher education institutions will be able to decide exactly what they expect their students to achieve in return for free education. In most places, it is possible to keep a place on a state scholarship with a lower average than before.
No A-level final exam required for university entrance
University admissions are also being reformed. In the autumn, universities and colleges published their new admission rules. They revealed that from 2023, most courses will no longer require an A-level school-leaving certificate (emelt szintű érettségi). Intermediate level exams will be satisfactory.
It was announced at the beginning of December that the interest rate freeze will be extended to the open-ended student loan, Student Loan 1, from 1 January 2023. Student loan 2 is not affected by the decision, as this type was already interest-free. What is also new is that women under 30 who have a child (or adopt a child) during their higher education studies or within two years of successfully completing them will receive a non-refundable grant of 100 percent of their student loan debt.
The government is committed to raising the wages of teachers as steeply as possible over the next three years, a state secretary of the interior ministry said on Monday.
The government held “the broadest ever” consultation in the sector last year, with up to 33,000 relevant questionnaires returned by teachers during the summer and the autumn and another 130,000 returned by parents in the winter, Bence Retvari said in a video on Facebook.
The government also held personal consultations with 400 teachers and principals in December, as well as roundtable talks on education, and meetings with the strike committee of teachers’ unions, he said.
The plan is to raise wages using central budget resources and EU funding, which will allow increasing teachers’ wages by 21 percent this year, by 25 percent in 2024 and by 29 percent in 2025, Rátvári said.
“The average monthly wage of a teacher will go up by 75 percent to 777,000 forints (EUR 1,940) in three years,” he said.
