The priority aim declared in the Act on National Public Education of 2011 and in the Act on Vocational Education and Training of 2019 is to prevent social exclusion and provide talent fostering, with an emphasized attention of supporting children/pupils with social and behavioural difficulties.
According to law, the primary task of public education and VET is to take into account the special needs of SEN children/pupils, children/pupils with social, learning and behavioural difficulties and adults with disabilities attending to VET; to facilitate their most successful development to their individual abilities, and to create the full potential of social integration.
In Hungarian kindergarten and school education, the following groups of children and pupils receive special attention based on the Act on National Public Education:
- children and pupils in need of special support, including:
- children/pupils with special educational needs,
- children/pupils with social, learning and behavioural difficulties,
- exceptionally gifted children/pupils.
- disadvantaged children/pupils and those with multiple disadvantages,
- children/pupils undergoing long-term medical treatment.
Support measures for children/pupils in need of special support
The acts on National Public Education and VET serve the provision of SEN children by providing extra services, and with regulations offering positive discrimination.
The following public education institutions and professionals working in public education have a prominent role in providing services for children/pupils in need of special support:
- institutions of the Pedagogical Assistance Service undertaking the following tasks: special education counselling, early intervention, education and care; individual development of severely disabled children/pupils; expert committee activity; parenting advice, speech therapy, academic and career guidance, conductive education, adapted physical education, kindergarten and school psychology, catering for the exceptionally gifted.
- separate special education institutions, conductive education institutions
- integrated special education and conductive education institutions
- inclusive schools and kindergartens
- mobile network of special needs teachers
- developmental educators
There is one state Pedagogical Assistance Service institution maintained by the relevant school district in each county and in the capital, made up of a head office as well as at least one subordinate institution in each district or capital district, and supplemented by subordinate offices in Budapest being competent at a national level. County level tasks of the Pedagogical Assistance Service include some of the expert committee activities as well as academic and career guidance. The activities are performed by the head office, in greater counties by the head office and subordinate office(s) with county level competence together.
District level tasks performed by the subordinate offices are:
- special education counselling, early intervention, education and care;
- individual development of severely disabled children/pupils;
- parenting advice;
- speech therapy;
- conductive education;
- adapted physical education;
- coordination of kindergarten and school psychology;
- gifted education;
- expert committee activity.
Children, pupils in need of special attention are identified by the expert committees operated at the Pedagogical Assistance Services. Within the frame of the above activity, based on the complex psychological, pedagogical-special educational examination, an expert opinion is prepared by the expert committee of the institution, among others to assess whether the developmental state required for entering the school system is reached. They assess or exclude social, learning and behavioural difficulties; or special education needs in the case of physical disability, sensory (visual, auditory) impairment, intellectual disability, speech impairment, autism spectrum disorder, or other psychological developmental disorder.
The expert committee in its expert opinion makes a proposal for the provision of the SEN child/pupil, the method, form and place of provision, the types of the Pedagogical Assistance Services related to the provision, the required expert and his/her tasks. The parent is informed on the institutions that allow SEN children to participate in early intervention and care, kindergarten education and individual development of severely disabled children/pupils.
Based on the recommendation of the expert committee, SEN children/pupils can fulfil their study obligations in a SEN or inclusive institution. The public education institution can be selected by the parent from the recommended institutions.
In order to provide full Pedagogical Assistance Services for children/pupils, and to monitor their development, Educational Authority operates a national IT monitoring system to follow up the service events of recipients. (Integrated Monitoring System)
With approving the National Talent Programme, the Parliament gives highlighted opportunity for long-term and continuous help for the talented youth for 20 years, in between 2008 and 2028. The main goal of the National Talent Programme is to develop talent supporting in Hungary and in Hungarian diaspora areas. Achieving the aim of the National Talent Programme is aided by open procedures.
Supported programmes for disadvantaged and multiply disadvantaged children/pupils
In public and vocational education institutions and outside them, disadvantaged or multiply disadvantaged children/pupils are supported through the following targeted programmes. Compulsory kindergarten education from the age of three, introduced from September 1, 2015, plays a significant role in equalizing disadvantages.
Methods and programmes applied in institutions
- Complex Instructions Programme
- Complex Core Programme
- Arany János Programmes
- ‘Útravaló’ (For the Road) Scholarship Programmes
- ‘Tanítsunk Magyarországért’ (Let’s Teach for Hungary) Mentor Programme
- ‘Dobbantó’ (Springboard) Programme of vocational training schools
Support measures of social institutions
- Sure Start Children’s Centres
- ‘Tanoda’ programmes (extracurricular learning centres)
Helping to prevent social exclusion, supporting people with learning difficulties and social disadvantages is not limited within the confines of the public education system. At tertiary level, the benefits determined in public education continue to be provided to students with learning difficulties. Colleges and universities support people in need with scholarships. Support for those, who participates in adult education and training is provided through central institutions at the expense of central support.