Education in Hungary 2000

Foreword

This is the fourth occasion on which the National Institute of Public Education, assisted by the Ministry of Education, has prepared and published its Report on Education in Hungary. The intention of this study is to analyse and evaluate the current state of affairs and ongoing trends in Hungarian public education. As on previous occasions, an abridged English version of the Report is also being published, which forms the present volume.

The idea of producing a comprehensive report on the changes in public education at intervals of every 2 or 3 years was originally conceived in the mid-1990s, following the OECD report on Hungarian education policy. The concept was motivated in part by background analyses relating to the OECD report and their influence on debates concerning education, and in part by OECD recommendations. Hungarian public education administration officials came to the conclusion that such a thorough professional analysis, based on statistical data, research results and documents, could have several positive effects. Firstly, it may have a favourable influence on general opinion concerning public education by approaching problems in a systematic, thematic and professional manner, thereby making trends in education policy more predictable and more rational. Secondly, by analysing the system and providing feedback, it may have a favourable influence on the quality and efficiency of education. Thirdly, by documenting events in educational policy-making it aids continuity and helps to maintain a balance between change and stability in an age characterised by rapid changes and unstable periods of transition.

The Report published in 2000, which now appears in an abridged English version, differs from previous reports in that it attempts to provide an overview of trends over the 1990s, rather than looking only at a few years. The emphasis, however, is on the description and analysis of changes that have taken place since the publication of the last such report in 1996, but this time they are presented in the context of the still ongoing socio-economic changes that began in 1989.

It is not an exaggeration to say that changes in Hungary in the 1990s took place on a historical scale. Responsibilities for the maintenance of educational institutions were given to politically autonomous local communities, with rights to control education in many ways. A number of private and church-affiliated schools were established, and new forums emerged. In certain areas of public education (primarily in secondary schools) considerable growth was observed, whilst vocational training greatly diminished. A significant proportion of institutions have gone through a transformation in character and many schools have introduced years of teaching extending before and after their former operational period. This has altered the demarcation lines between primary, secondary and higher education, vertical divisions in the school system, and student flows - a change unprecedented in previous decades.

Regulations concerning the content of the curriculum have been transformed in a unique way, unparalleled in East-Central Europe. The early 1990s saw the abolition of mandatory, detailed central curricula and new national documents were prepared to define the requirements concerning the essential content of education. Schools were obliged to create documents to regulate their own pedagogical work. Local autonomy and professional responsibility put teachers in a new position and inevitably redefined the function of schools and the role of teachers. An extraordinary transformation took place in institutions supporting the work of schools and instructors, and new forms of service emerged. Whilst the financial conditions in which public education operated deteriorated dramatically due to the economic crisis in the early 1990s, resources for development were by the end of the decade being provided to an unprecedented degree. Simultaneously, new mechanisms were being created to distribute these resources, providing access to all types of forums for professional development. As a result, a previously unimaginable number of innovative initiatives took place.

The social, political and economic transformation taking place in East-Central Europe resulted in a considerable transformation of educational systems in these countries. Changes, however, were probably nowhere as far-reaching as in Hungary. In few countries did trends such as growing local autonomy, an opening up of the educational system, market-like processes and competition between institutions, the intensification of professional activity amongst teachers, and the multi-faceted active role of the state as a developer have such significance. All this makes trends in Hungarian education particularly interesting, both for Hungarian and international analysts. The presentation of these trends is facilitated by the great number of research programmes taking place in Hungary during the 1990s, which contributed to the uncovering of processes at local and institutional level. This present Report certainly has its limits. Those who need more information should refer to the homepage of the Ministry of Education, or that of the National Institute of Public Education (www.om.hu and www.oki.hu, respectively), and the links therein, to find documents available in English.

This Report devotes individual chapters to issues such as the key features of the socio-economic environment of education; the problems of public education administration and funding; the structural problems of the system; the issue of student flows; changes in the content of teaching, curriculum policy and conditions within schools; working conditions for teachers; the efficiency and quality of education; and finally inequalities within education and problems concerning the education of minorities and students with special needs. The English version of the Report has been supplemented with some extra context and background information that is not necessary for Hungarians but may prove to be useful in orienting the international reader attempting to understand the processes taking place in Hungary.

We must emphasise that this Report - like those previously issued - focuses on issues of primary and secondary education. Higher education and adult education are mentioned insofar as they have some relevance to primary and secondary education. We must also point out that this Report was prepared by a research team and as such - governmental financial support notwithstanding - the observations within are not expressions of official views and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of national authorities.