education

Will Hungarian teachers start nationwide strike on October 5?

Teachers’ trade union PDSZ has called a nationwide strike for October 5, World Teachers’ Day, union leaders told MTI on Sunday.

The union’s leadership decided on the strike at a meeting on Friday. PDSZ is asking staff of kindergartens, schools, dormitories and auxiliary educational facilities not to work on October 5. It is also calling on private and public sector unions to organise solidarity strikes or other actions to “make it clear that education is a matter of national importance”.

PDSZ noted that institution heads must be informed of planned strikes no later than September 27, while the number and names of participants must be submitted by September 29.

Read alsoDormitory placement costs may rise at several universities in Hungary

September 26, 2022

Hungary to cooperate with Mexico on space research

Foreign ministers Peter Szijjarto of Hungary and Marcelo Ebrard of Mexico have signed an agreement on cooperation in education and space research, Hungary’s embassy in Mexico City told MTI on Friday.

Holding talks on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly session, the two ministers agreed that Hungary would grant forty scholarships a year to young Mexicans who wish to study at Hungarian institutions. They also agreed that the two countries would cooperate in “peaceful space research” by exchanging information and participating in joint technology projects.

Hungarian universities to cooperate on sustainability

Fourteen Hungarian universities have signed a framework agreement on forming a sustainability platform to promote environmental protection.

Anikó Raisz, state secretary for environmental protection and the circular economy, praised the initiative as an excellent example of meeting global challenges at local level. She expressed hope that the number of signatories would soon exceed 60 and that their joint work would yield results even in the short term. Economic growth should go hand in hand with environmental protection, and neither of them should go to the detriment to the other, she said.

The Hungarian government has demonstrated its commitment to environmental protection several times, Raisz said. Balázs Hankó, deputy state secretary for higher education, said the energy crisis and the drought have once again underlined that priority should be given to the protection of the global environment, adding that universities had a major role to play in this.

September 24, 2022

Dormitory placement costs may rise at several universities in Hungary

The university dormitories in Hungary will be heated to 20-22 °C during winter. Because of the skyrocketing gas prices, it is imaginable that some universities will have to raise dormitory costs, the chairman of the FEKOSZ, the National Association of Higher Education Dormitories, told the Hungarian press.

The weather in Hungary turned chilly in the last few days, and forecasts show that the Indian summer will not come back soon. Therefore, in some places, the heating season started in Hungary. However, because of the continuously rising energy prices, it is a pressing question for all Hungarian dormitories how high their heating bill will be this year.

Imre Hegedűs, the chairman of the FEKOSZ, said that most institutions are currently in the planning phase of their energy costs. Leaderships are to make strategic decisions in the issue, 24.hu reported. He added that nobody calculated with 18 °C. Most dormitories plan to heat the buildings to 20-22 °C in autumn and winter.

Read alsoAnother famous hotel may close in Hungary

Of course, it is not all the same whether a dormitory is supplied by district heating or natural gas heating. Furthermore, the building’s design and whether it merges with the university is also a crucial factor in the case of heating. He believes that, in the long run, all universities should switch to renewable power sources.

He said each university’s student union and Senate had to accept dormitory fees for the 2022-2023 academic year until May 31. Of course, those bodies could not predict the price of gas and electricity this May when they gave green lights to the dormitory fees in effect from September.

Therefore, they may raise the prices during the academic year. That would be a vis maior situation, Mr. Hegedűs added.

Read alsoAnother victim: One of Budapest’s best gourmet restaurants closes

FEKOSZ is an association for the protection and advocacy of higher education colleges organised and operating on a democratic basis. Through its activities, it intends to create a community of interest for the students and staff of the colleges of Hungarian higher education institutions. The aim of the organization is to raise Hungarian higher education colleges to a level that gives us a worthy role in the process of becoming an intellectual. It cooperates with other domestic and international organisations dealing with higher education and public education, mik.ma says.

September 23, 2022

Council of Europe: Hungarian education in the neighbouring country must be improved

The Council of Europe’s specialised body for the protection of minorities has recently published a report on the situation of national minorities in Slovenia. According to the European Council, the Hungarian language and education in Hungarian should be improved in Slovenia.

The Advisory Committee for the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), overseen by the Council of Europe, has recently reported that Hungarian is taught in Slovenian-Hungarian bilingual classes in Slovenia. This does not ensure equal use of Hungarian and Slovenian in schools, index.hu writes.

Read alsoHungarian FM: Chinese investments could ensure Hungary growth amid recession

This project, according to the FCNM, does not guarantee that students will acquire a full range of Hungarian language skills. According to representatives of the Hungarian national minority, the proportion of Hungarian in bilingual classes depends in practice on the teacher.

Both Hungarian and Italian are available in Slovenia. However, there is a shortage of civil servants. The Slovenian Ministry of Culture supports cultural programmes proposed by Hungarian and Italian national minorities through an annual direct call for proposals. Measures to combat hate speech have been included in the 2019-2023 national anti-crime programme.

The authorities fight stereotypes and prejudice and publicly condemn anti-minority rhetoric.

Read alsoHungarian minister: UN should ensure protection to ethnic minorities’ identity

September 22, 2022

Opposition: If Hungarian govt can afford pay hike for police, teachers should also get higher wage

The opposition LMP party has repeated its demand that the government raise teachers’ wages.

“If there are enough funds in the budget to pay for a pay rise for police, then there is no reason to tie a hike for teachers to the arrival of EU funds,” MP Máté Kanász-Nagy told a press briefing on Wednesday.

Also, he said government communications were contradictory, with the prime minister’s chief of staff stating that teachers’ wages can be raised even if the EU holds back funding and the minister for regional development insisting funds will be forthcoming. The government would be able to pre-finance a pay increase for teachers if the latter were true, he added.

LMP wants people working in education to get a 45 percent wage increase and salaries to be adjusted to inflation twice a year. Also, teachers should work fewer hours, he said.

Read alsoGermany supports Hungary losing its veto in the European Union

September 21, 2022

Baltic Council for International Education: Summer experiences from international camps

Apart from helping students with their secondary school and university applications, Baltic Council for International Education also sends children, teenagers and adults to summer camps and language courses abroad. The leading education abroad agency has 28 years of experience, over 1000 partner institutions – prestigious secondary schools, language schools, summer camps and universities – all over the world and offices in 6 countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Italy and Hungary. The newest office in Budapest opened in March this year and finished its first successful summer period sending students to summer camps and language courses in many different countries, including Spain, the UK, Cyprus, Germany and Austria.

Schoolchildren and students who decide to take part in a summer program through Baltic Council have the opportunity to choose from several available options in the UK, Malta, Cyprus, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada or even the USA. Most students between the age of 12 and 16 choose to attend a general language camp, where foreign language classes are combined with various afternoon activities – going to the beach, having a movie night, a karaoke party, a barbecue and many others. Apart from English, Baltic Council also offers camps of other languages, like German, French or Spanish, which is also becoming more and more popular among students. Schoolchildren who wish to have a more academic experience during the summer, have the chance to dive into Mathematics, Science, Arts, Global Issues, or even International Relations, which could help them decide what to study later at university. Others, who are thinking of starting their studies in an IB (International Baccalaureate) school either abroad or in Hungary, can travel to an IB camp to get an impression of this kind of education; while others can choose to go to sports camps.

Eszter (15) for example, chose to take part in a three-week IB preparation camp in a prestigious boarding school, St. Clare’s Oxford, in the UK. The aim of such a camp is to get students acquainted with IB education; however, it also enables students to make friends with like-minded people from all over the world, develop their academic English skills and collect unforgettable experiences. Eszter had an amazing stay in Oxford, which she described as follows:

“Overall, I had an incredible experience in the camp and it definitely convinced me to choose IB in the future […] The helpfulness and flexibility of the teachers is indescribable […] The students came from almost every continent, there was a great diversity of nations […] The teachers highly recommended that I apply for a scholarship at St Clare’s as I would be welcome back […] To sum up, I had a great experience in Oxford and I can’t deny that my heart is telling me to go back.”

Another student, Tibi (15) is a great football-enthusiast, plays football many times a week, which was the main reason why he chose a sports camp in the UK – one, where English lessons in the morning are followed by football trainings and evening activities. As a part of this program, Tibi also had the chance to visit the famous Arsenal football stadium, which he described as a dream come true. Returning from the one-week camp, he felt more confident speaking English and also received professional feedback from the coaches regarding his performance during the trainings.

Summer camps have ended; the new school year has begun, which also brought the opening of online platforms for university applications: whoever graduates in June, 2023 can now apply to universities abroad. The Hungarian Baltic Council team is ready to help anyone interested in studying abroad: choosing the right country and program, writing a motivational letter, a personal statement and a CV, uploading documents to the correct platform until the given deadlines and so on. Students who are interested can sign up for a free consultation with the experienced counsellors on the Baltic Council website, or via email (hu*****@ba***********.org) or telephone (+36 30 229 70 77).

Read alsoOnly one Hungarian university’s Master’s programme has made the Financial Times TOP 100 list

September 20, 2022

School-heating limit, Huxit, hospital construction: further government decisions

Here are some further decisions of the government Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister’s chief of staff, mentioned during the government info.

In response to a question, Gulyás said the government had not cancelled, merely postponed the start of its major health care-related investment projects in the capital, including the construction of a central hospital in southern Buda and the upgrade of the St. János Hospital. In response to another question, he said the government’s intentions regarding the takeover of Liszt Ferenc International Airport had not changed.

On another subject, he said the government will raise the wages of teachers once Hungary is given access to the EU funds it is entitled to. He said the government was also expected to approve yesterday a proposal that requires primary schools to limit their heating to 20 degrees Celsius and secondary schools to 18 degrees. Asked about government support for the utility bills of health institutions, Gulyas said that no hospitals or clinics would close because of utility costs.

Meanwhile, he said the government would also approve a measure today that will increase lignite production. He said Hungary has enough gas storage at present to cover 89 winter days.

Read also: Price caps, EU money, crisis: here are the government’s extraordinary announcements!

Concerning Democratic Coalition (DK) MEP Klára Dobrev’s decision to form a shadow cabinet, Gulyás said ruling Fidesz had been correct when it said that the “true leader of the left” was DK leader and Dobrev’s husband, Ferenc Gyurcsány. There has not yet been an attempt to set up a shadow cabinet in Hungarian politics, “but there’s already a shadow prime minister: Klára Dobrev, because it’s actually Ferenc Gyurcsűny who’s controlling their executive branch”, Gulyás said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás denied as “untrue” press reports that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had raised the possibility of reviewing Hungary’s EU membership in 2030 at an annual civic event held in Kötcse, in western Hungary. The government has always found that the advantages of Hungary’s EU membership outweigh its disadvantages, mainly because of the common market, he said.

Read also: Orbán may tremble? Gyurcsány’s DK formed a shadow cabinet

Commenting on reports of opposition parties and politicians receiving funding from abroad, Gulyás said every such case would have to be investigated, adding that the ban on such financing needed to be respected by everyone.

As regards abortion, he said the government has not tightened the relevant law in any way and women remained free to make their own decision in the matter. Gulyás said the government had approved provisions put forward by the College of Health Care Professions, adding that this did not impact women’s freedom of choice.

September 18, 2022

Opposition Párbeszéd pledges support for teachers’ strike

The opposition Párbeszéd parliamentary group has pledged its support for a planned teachers’ strike and has also offered financial aid for the action, a party MP said on Tuesday.

At an online press briefing, Tamás Mellár appealed to the public to express solidarity with teachers and support the strike.

He said teachers were not calling for the action out of self-interest but because they were in the midst of an education system “in a state of deep crisis”.

Mellár insisted that Hungary’s education system had been degraded by the government, which had also placed “severe restrictions” on the right to strike. He added that civil disobedience in such a legal environment was “necessary” as well as “understandable and forgivable”.

Noting that striking teachers had been threatened with dismissal, he said “incompetent and unscrupulous” government officials should be sacked instead.

Read alsoSocialists pledge solidarity with protesters for Hungarian education reform

September 13, 2022

Socialists pledge solidarity with protesters for Hungarian education reform

The Socialist party stands with the participants demanding wage raises for teachers and “restoring professionalism and trust” in education in a demonstration at the Hermann Ottó Secondary School in Miskolc, in northeast Hungary, co-leader Ágnes Kunhalmi told a press conference streamed online on Monday.

The demonstrators formed a human chain around the school on Monday morning in protest against the firing of its deputy director for participating in an action of civil disobedience organised by teachers last week.

Kunhalmi, who is vice-president of parliament’s cultural committee, told the press conference held in front of the interior ministry in Budapest that Hungarian public education was “over-politicised, with rampant unprofessionalism”. Students drop out in droves and more than 10,000 teachers are missing from the public education system, she said.

While the government spent 5.4 percent of GDP on education in 2010, that ratio will drop to 3.4 percent next year, she said, calling for the funding to be raised to 6 percent of GDP.

She also called for wage hikes for teachers, for the autonomy of education to be restored, and for trust to be rekindled between teachers, students, parents and the government.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán set an example of civil disobedience earlier, when he dismantled the metal barriers [raised against protesters in 2007] in Budapest’s Kossuth Square. But we all know that that was a democracy, and this isn’t one,” Kunhalmi said.

Budapest demonstration teacher student protest

Read also PHOTO, VIDEOS: Thousands demonstrated for a better education in Budapest

September 12, 2022

Hungarian language teacher training faculty building inaugurated in Serbia

Hungarian language teaching Serbia building

Serbia and Hungary’s relations are based on understanding and care, President Katalin Novák said at the inauguration of the building of the University of Novi Sad’s Hungarian-language teacher training faculty in Subotica (Szabadka), in northern Serbia, on Friday.

In her speech at the inauguration, Novak emphasised that the ethnic Hungarian community of Serbia’s Vojvodina region and the Serbian leadership were working hard to keep the friendship between the two countries “as close as it is”. The president said children in Vojvodina needed to be given not just knowledge, but also a love of their mother tongue, an identity, faith and patriotism.

Novák also touched on the migration pressure faced by Serbia and the rest of Europe, saying that Prime Minister Ana Brnabic had assured her that Serbia “understands this problem” and was working on a solution that would help the local Hungarian community.

Read also: Hungarian schoolbook caused scandal, Ukraine demands its rewriting

She reiterated Hungary’s support for Serbia’s accession to the European Union, saying that “we need Serbia and it is in our interest that the ethnic Hungarian community in Vojvodina be given European Union citizenship as soon as possible”.

István Pásztor, head of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), called Novák’s visit to Belgrade “a new important milestone” in the two countries’ relationship which also benefited Vojvodina Hungarians.

He said the teacher training faculty building would not have become a reality without the Hungarian government’s contribution of over 1 billion forints (EUR 2.5m) to the project.

Read also PHOTO, VIDEOS: Thousands demonstrated for a better education in Budapest

September 10, 2022

Hungarian university admissions system revamped

The government has revamped Hungary’s university admissions system after consultations with the institutions, operators and students, and published the detailed regulations in a decree, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation said on Thursday.

The new system is aimed at offering universities, students and their families greater freedom of choice, the statement said.

The revamped admissions system will preserve the central coordinator role of the Education Office, the possibility of applying to six places and the importance of secondary school achievements and leaving exam results in the assessment of students’ admissions requests. At the same time, higher education institutions will get more powers in deciding their entry requirements, the ministry said. Additionally, the system will offer easier access to higher education for those holding vocational certificates and people who have done voluntary military service.

Read alsoAnother Hungarian university changes its curriculum due to high costs!

The new rules will apply to applicants who wish to start their studies from September 2024 but institutions will have the option to introduce some of the changes already for 2023 admissions. .

September 9, 2022

Hungarian schoolbook caused scandal, Ukraine demands its rewriting

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, there is false information in the textbooks of Hungarian primary school children. In Hungary, a geography textbook for eighth graders presents the Russian-Ukrainian war as if it were an internal war. In addition, the book includes a diagram showing the United States, the European Union and Russia fighting over Ukraine.

Surprising Hungarian textbook

As we reported, this year’s new primary school geography textbook has an interesting section. The textbook for eighth graders mentions the war in Ukraine. Hungarian schoolchildren are given this information in their textbook:

“The majority (of the population) is of Ukrainian nationality, but in the eastern part of the country, there is a significant proportion of Russians, and in the Crimean Peninsula, they form the majority. The two East Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian) are similar. In the parts of the country inhabited by Russians, one fifth of the population speaks a mixed Russian-Ukrainian language. Despite this, the two ethnic groups are often at odds with each other. Their opposition also triggered an armed conflict for the Crimean Peninsula (4.2.).”

The figure in brackets refers to a drawing of the United States of America, the European Union and a Russian bear fighting over the Ukrainian flag. Moreover, the Russian flag is upside down, Telex.hu reports.

Ukraine demands rewriting

The case has had a big impact not only in Hungary but also in Ukraine. A Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman said they demanded that eighth-grade geography textbooks be rewritten immediately. Oleg Nikolenko said the book falsely portrays the war Russia has launched against Ukraine as an internal war.

Ukrainian diplomats have already been to the foreign ministry to talk about the textbook. During the talks, they stressed that the section on Ukraine is unacceptable because it contains distorted facts.

In 2017, Hungarian students were still taught the fact that Russia had annexed Crimea, 24.hu writes. However, in 2018, the war in eastern Ukraine, which has been going on almost continuously since 2014, was left out of the book, hvg.hu writes.

Read alsoHungarian-speaking Ukrainian soldiers tortured Russian soldier with the Hungarian Erős Pista — VIDEO

September 8, 2022

Another Hungarian university changes its curriculum due to high costs!

After the ELTE, Semmelweis University will also have one of its breaks cancelled. This will make the winter break longer and reduce the additional costs caused by rising utility costs.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the autumn break at Eötvös Loránd University will be cancelled due to the rise in overheads. At the Faculty of Humanities, the examination period will also be online. In connection with this, telex.hu asked other Hungarian universities what were their plans regarding the current and upcoming semesters. Corvinus University and the University of Pécs replied that would not change their plans.

However, Semmelweis University wrote: “At Semmelweis University, the autumn term is taking place as announced in the academic year, and the university is not currently preparing to switch to online education. However, negotiations are underway to cancel the spring break planned for the period between 03.04.2023 and 10.04.2023 due to the energy emergency, but in this case – in a departure from the usual practice – a break in teaching will be ordered in December 2022, between the two holidays. The change in maintenance costs will not affect the public health care, diagnostic and therapeutic activities linked to the university”.

It has previously been suggested that more schools could switch to digital education, thereby reducing overheads. The Ministry of the Interior is not helping educational institutions. The school districts have been asked to assess whether they can switch to wood-burning in their schools.

Read alsoAutumn break at ELTE BTK could be cancelled due to the rise in overheads

September 7, 2022

You will be surprised what Hungarian children are learning about the Russian war in Ukraine

New school year, new schoolbag, new pencils, and of course, we cannot miss the new books either. Eighth graders in elementary school will get the chance this year to delve into the fresh topic of the Ukrainian crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

They will learn about the recent events happening in Ukraine. Everyone has access to the materials on the website of the National Public Education Portal. The country’s regions, agriculture and industrial development remain unchanged in every textbook. However, the new additions start with more emphasis on the composition of the population, as an introduction to its recent conflicts.

Read alsoRadical party wants the same thing as Moscow: the creation of a buffer zone between NATO countries and Russia

Ukraine is an independent country, part of whose territory, Crimean Peninsula, was occupied by the Russian military in 2014. Soon after Crimea was annexed by Russia through an internationally disputed referendum. In February of this year, Russia’s military forces attacked Ukraine using the composition of the population in Ukraine’s eastern regions as a Casus Belli. Since then, the nation of the country has been fighting for its independence, with the aid and support of the western states (excluding Hungary).

“The majority (of the population) is of Ukrainian nationality, but in the eastern part of the country there is a significant proportion of Russians, and in the Crimean Peninsula they form the majority. The two East Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian) are similar. In the parts of the country inhabited by Russians, one fifth of the population speaks a mixed Russian-Ukrainian language. Despite this, the two ethnic groups are often at odds with each other. Their opposition also triggered an armed conflict for the Crimean Peninsula (4.2.).”

– says the new textbook that the eighth graders will use from this September. The (4.2) leads us to an illustration that feels like it was straight out of a 1950s newspaper’s caricature section. It shows the European Union, the United States and Russia fight over the country. (Not even mentioning the upside-down flag on the ushanka of the Russian bear.) This caricature is the way they introduce the events of a neighbouring country suffering from wartime aggression, half hiding the facts of the occupation of Crimea too – writes Telex.

Read also15,719 refugees arrive from Ukraine on Tuesday

September 6, 2022

Autumn break at ELTE BTK could be cancelled due to the rise in overheads

The ELTE Faculty of Humanities is also severely affected by the rise in overhead costs, so the faculty’s management has decided to the autumn break will be cancelled, the academic term will be one week shorter in December, and the examination period will be online – according to a letter sent to faculty members, obtained by Telex.

ELTE

According to the letter, the faculty’s academic term will run from 12 September to 9 December, but there will be no more attendance classes from 5 December. The exam period will run from 19 December to 4 January, but there will be no classes or exams during the week of 12-18 December. The university has not confirmed the report.

Corvinus

According to the University of Corvinus, they are not preparing to do so and will keep the autumn break.

“The university has long-term contracts with suppliers who have been contracted through public procurement procedures, and energy prices will continue to be paid on this basis,”

Corvinus University replied.

Preparing for the expensive heating season

The government declared an energy emergency in mid-July, and from August the cuts will no longer apply to above-average consumers. Since above average consumption, you will pay seven times more for gas and twice as much for electricity, so it makes a difference who will bear the extra cost and how much extra money you will have to pay. As schools are typically large public institutions, where future heating and electricity bills will obviously be above average consumption, the fear is understandable. Details, Energy crisis: how much will it cost to convert schools to wood heating?

The Ministry of the Interior sent a letter to the school districts at the end of July asking them to assess the possibility of switching from gas to wood heating in schools. This includes checking whether there is a suitable room for installing a wood-burning boiler and whether there is a suitable chimney at all, and if not, how to install one.

In one church school, the headmaster was asking parents whether they would give 100,000 forints per family to help pay the heating bills during the winter season.

Read alsoHungarian government does not consider heating in every school necessary

September 6, 2022

Hungary’s government committed to support mother-tongue education across the borders

Hungarian government officials on Saturday greeted teachers and students of Hungarian schools across the borders at the start of the academic year, and pledged continued support for mother-tongue education from kindergarten to university.

State Secretary Árpád János Potápi attended the year-opening event of Hungarian schools in Slovakia in Drzkovce (Deresk) in southern Slovakia. Although the coming months may be fraught with difficulties, Hungary’s government is committed to continuing its programmes supporting mother-tongue education across the borders, as it has done for 12 years, he said. The subsidies have made quality mother-tongue education available for some 300,000 Hungarian children in the Carpathian Basin, he said. The government has contributed to the building and reconstruction of some 1,000 kindergartens, and regularly supports 50 institutes of secondary education and dormitories, as well as 8 higher-education institutes, he said.

This year, 3,675 children start learning in Hungarian-language schools in Slovakia, “which is cause for optimism,” he said.

Read also: PHOTO, VIDEOS: Thousands demonstrated for a better education in Budapest

Péter Szilágyi, a deputy state secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, attended an event in Mali Hejivci (Kisgejoc) in western Ukraine. He said the opening ceremony was a “careful, tiny step towards peaceful daily life” in war-torn Ukraine. The Hungarian government has aided teachers’ efforts to bring stability into children’s lives in the region, and so all schools could start in-person education at the start of the academic year, he said. He thanked Ildiko Orosz, the head of the association of Hungarian teachers in Transcarpathia, for her work.

The Hungarian government’s support for kindergarten and schoolchildren, as well as “constant curricular and infrastructural development”, have made mother-tongue education across the borders competitive with “other education”, he said.

Read alsoThe new Hungarian school year starts with unforeseen difficulties

September 4, 2022

PHOTO, VIDEOS: Thousands demonstrated for a better education in Budapest

Demonstrators, including students, teachers, left-wing politicians and opposition activists, staged a protest for the development of education and the appreciation of teachers in Budapest on Friday.

“Free country, free education!”

The demonstrators urged the government to devote greater attention to public education. They called for a solution to the shortage of teachers, keeping the teaching material to an amount that is “teachable and learnable” and for “liveable schools”.

The demonstration organised by the “Students for Teachers” Facebook group started at St Stephen Square in downtown Budapest, from where the protestors made their way to Fővám Square, chanting slogans like

“Free country, free education!”

and “No teachers, no future!” Several opposition politicians like Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, Péter Márki-Zay, the united opposition’s prime ministerial candidate in the spring general election, and lawmakers of the Párbeszéd and Socialist parties could be seen among the protestors.

Read also: Protesters block Margaret Bridge — UPDATED, PHOTOS

At Fővám Square, several teachers and students addressed the crowd, calling on the government to increase spending on public education, and on teachers to hold a strike. They asked the public to show solidarity in the interest of the development of education.

Many of the protestors wore chequered shirts, an outfit that has become associated with teacher demonstrations.

Read also: Lots of people protested against tree-felling in Budapest

Eduline.hu reported about the protest live and estimated the number of demonstrators to be thousands at around 5 PM. Here you may check out their photos of the demonstration. The “Students for Teachers” Facebook group was created in March and organised a protest near the Parliament, in which thousands took part.

However, the war in Ukraine put the movement of the teachers between parentheses, so it did not become a defining issue in the April general elections. Orbán’s Fidesz won a supermajority again, and the education secretary announced this week that the government would not put more money into the system from domestic sources. Instead, they wait for EU funds to arrive and promise they would raise the teachers’ wages to 80% of the average salary of Hungarian degree holders.

Here are two videos:

Read alsoPolice take action against protesters after KATA protests

September 3, 2022

Hungarian opposition calls on govt to divert more funding to education

Opposition Jobbik on Thursday urged the government to divert more funding within this year’s budget to education.

Citing fresh statistics, Jobbik deputy group leader Koloman Brenner told a press conference that some 4,800 teachers were missing from Hungarian public education. This problem can only be resolved by paying teachers more and giving them greater recognition, he said.

Under Jobbik’s proposal, the extra funding diverted to the education sector would be used to raise teacher wages by 50 percent with a view to avoiding strikes, he added.

Brenner said it was also unclear whether schools could be properly heated during the winter, pointing out that several institutions had already indicated that their school year would not run under the regular class schedule. The prices of school meals have also gone up, he added.

Brenner also said his party would double family allowances.

Read alsoThe new Hungarian school year starts with unforeseen difficulties

September 2, 2022