2024

New teacher status and career path

The Act on the New Careers of Teachers (Act LII of 2023 on the New Careers of Teachers) entered into force on 1 January 2023, which means that from 1 January 2024 all teachers working in school education have been replaced from their previous status as public servants or employees by the status of school education employees, and the rules of their employment have been changed in several respects.

Teacher pay raise

Two Government Decrees (Government Decree No. 661 of 2023 (December 29) on the support related to the part of the salary for the creation of opportunities to be paid by certain maintainers, on the additional budget support for 2024 and amending Government Decree No. 401 of 2023 (August 30) on the implementation of Act LII of 2023 on the new career of teachers; and Government Decree No. 662 of 2023 (December 29) on the emergency rules for central budget support for teacher salary increases) have been issued with effect from 1 January 2024, marking the start of a significant pay raise. In 2024, teachers' pay will increase by an average of 32.2% to reach 71.8% of average graduate earnings. Further pay raises will be introduced in the following period, with the aim of reaching 80% of average graduate earnings by 2025. The pay raise will be partly financed by the European Social Fund. The increase will not only apply to teachers in public education institutions, but also to a similar extent to teachers in private and church-run schools, as decided by the government.

Introduction of a new teacher appraisal

From 1 June 2024, the Government introduced a new system of teacher appraisal the framework of which was established by the Act on the Careers of Teachers (Act LII of 2023 on the New Careers of Teachers), and the details of which were set out in a new ministerial decree published on 4 April 2024 (Decree ofthe Ministry of the Interior No. 18 of 2024 (4 April) on the performance assessment of teachers). 

According to the new appraisal scheme, the work of teachers and of those directly involved in education and training (NOKS) will be assessed annually (by 30 June) by the head of the school. School heads are evaluated by representatives of the maintaining authority. During the assessment process, personal performance targets are set and then assessed for achievement. The annex to the ministerial decree details the criteria for performance assessment and the maximum points that can be awarded. The assessment is conducted through an electronic interface.

In order to ensure the success of the implementation, the Education Authority, in consultation with the Ministry responsible for public education and the Klebelsberg Centre, and after consulting the National Faculty of Teachers, has developed and published on its website a detailed methodology, professional and procedural rules, and organised a series of workshops for stakeholders in cooperation with the Pedagogical Education Centres (POK).

Increasing support for student sport and strengthening the impact of physical education

For 2024, the government has allocated an additional HUF 2.7 billion to support student sport. And due to the deteriorating fitness levels of students, the system of daily physical education in schools will be tightened from the start of the 2024/25 school year, with the exception of certified elite athletes, by removing the possibility of replacing two of the five compulsory physical education classes per week with additional physical education in the afternoon, such as recreational sports or folk dance. This change was made possible by the May amendment of the Public Education Act (Act CXC of 2011 on National Public Education) (Act XXV of 2024 amending the Acts supporting the provision of tasks in the internal affairs sector).

The digitalisation of public education

The series of purchases launched in 2022 continues, with the government distributing a total of 579,000 notebooks to schools (524,000 to students and 55,000 to teachers) by 31 December 2025. After 120,000 in the first year and 140,000 last autumn, a further 193,000 notebooks were distributed free of charge this spring, this time to students in fifth, sixth and ninth grades as well as to public education institutions. The state-of-the-art, touch-screen Dell, Asus, HP and Lenovo branded computers come with a three-year warranty. The promotion reaches more than 3,000 work places (schools) and targets not only public institutions but also church-run, national, municipal and private schools.

2023

Sectoral professional allowance

As of January 1, 2023, all teachers are entitled to a sectoral professional allowance equal to a thirty-two percent of their salary calculated without allowances and salary bonus.

A new career system for teachers

Act LII of 2023 on Teachers' New Career Paths (2023. évi LII. törvény a pedagógusok új életpályájáról) comes into effect in 2024. The law establishes a specific public education’s employement status. Among others, it determines the amount of basic leave (50 working days, of which 15 days can be set out by the employer as defined in law). The remuneration is related to career advancement. The exact monthly amount is determined by the the employer within their discretion taking into consideration

• the amount of years spent in profession,

• the qualifications and specialisations of the teacher releavant for the position, foreign language knowledge indicated in the appointment and releavant for work,

• the extent of extra work undertaken voluntarily, and the extent of teaching in more instititutions or sites,

• the recognition awarded by the minister responsible for general education or the maintainer,

• the amount of available funds of the employer as a result of responsible management,

• the number of subjects taught by the teacher,

• the labor market possibilities to fill vacancies, the position of the teacher.

Digital developments

The development of a data visualisation interface for the National Competence Assessment was implemented within the framework of the EFOP-3.2.15-VEKOP-17-2017-00001 Project on the development of assessment and digital tools and renewal of innovative educational management procedures related to the public education (A köznevelés keretrendszeréhez kapcsolódó mérési-értékelési és digitális fejlesztések, innovatív oktatásszervezési eljárások kialakítása, megújítása). The data visualisation solutions of the quick feedback system for students and institutions provide the opportunity to display preliminary results almost immediately after the assessment, which contributes to the improvement of the quality of professional pedagogical work in schools. The new interface will allow students, parents and institutions to receive quick feedback on their results immediately after the assessments and to compare the results of students in different localities and the effectiveness of teaching.

In line with the concept of the service state, the government's objective is to provide all students from Grade 5 to Grade 12 who so wish with a portable computer to access all the developments that have been or will be made. In the "first phase" of the device guarantee programme, launched in spring 2022, 120,000 notebooks were given to students in Grades 5 to 12 and 55,000 devices to teachers.  In the next phase, in 2023, 140,000 notebooks worth a total of HUF 36 billion will be distributed to students in Grades 7 to 10 in public, church and private public schools. This means that in 1,462 municipalities and more than 2,572 schools will be distributed such devices. 22,000 of the tablets used in the census were distributed to public schools by the government.

Further developments in national public education assessments

In addition to the competence field in reading comprehension, maths, foreign languages and science, two new competence fields (digital culture and history) will be introduced in the assessment system on an experimental basis from the 2023/24 school year. The number of Grades participating in the assessment and the pilot is as follows: 

- Grades 4-5: assessment in text comprehension, maths; 

- Grades 6-11: assessment in reading comprehension, maths, science, foreign language; 

- Grades 5-11: pilot assessment in digital culture and history

Programme to increase the environmental awareness of elementary school students launched

The government places special emphasis on environmental education and attitude formation, the important pillars of which are environmental education programmes. The Hungarian Association of Environmental Enterprises, with the support of the Ministry of Energy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the National Meteorological Service, is launching a new attitude-building programme for elementary school students (ISCED 1-2). Within this framework, by the end of the academic year, thousands of students can gain knowledge about the causes and effects of air pollution and about the possibilities to reduce it in sessions organized in general education institutions.

Support for talent development

The government has launched a 'Köbüki scholarship call' (Köbüki ösztöndíj-pályázat ) to recognise and encourage the professional activities and individual development of teachers involved in talent development. The call offers a HUF 75,000 monthly grant for one academic year to teachers of Hungarian language and literature, history, maths, physics, biology, chemistry, geography, IT (digital culture) or music culture who have at least 3 years of professional experience as teachers in Hungarian secondary education institutions and are currently teaching such subjects in Hungarian secondary education and are involved in talent development. By the deadline for submission, 1,048 applications were registered, and 957 applications were awarded funding on the basis of the decision. The total amount of funding for the 957 applications is HUF 717,750,000, half of which, i.e. HUF 358,875,000, will be paid from the 2023 budget and the other half, i.e. HUF 358,875,000, from the 2024 budget. The grant will take the form of a non-reimbursable scholarship at an intensity of 100%, to be paid in instalments by bank transfer according to the schedule set out in the grant award document. The funding period is from 01.09.2023 to 30.06.2024. The application is published and managed by the National Cultural Funding Agency on behalf of the Ministry.

2022

Klebelsberg Teacher Training Scholarship Programme 2022/2023

The aim of the Klebelsberg Teacher Training Scholarship Programme (Klebelsberg Képzési Ösztöndíjprogram), established by the Government in 2013, is to provide highly qualified, professionally trained teachers with commitment for the future, as well as to motivate university and college students who choose the teaching career to work long-term in their profession, and at the same time to offer them a job after graduation.

In accordance with the Public Education Act (2011. évi CXC. törvény a nemzeti köznevelésről), input measurements of reading literacy, mathematics and natural science competences of students in grades 6, 8 and 10 grades will be organized in all general education institutions; and output measurements in grades 6-11 in the academic year 2022/23. Pilot input and output measurements will be held in grades 4 and 5 to assess the pupils’ reading literacy and mathematics competences. The assessment is digital from 2022.

The “Útravaló” (Path) program provides support for disadvantaged and multiply disadvantaged pupils and students from the last year of basic school (ISCED 1-2) until the HE graduation. The scholarship programme has four sub-programmes: Path to upper secondary school, Path to profession, Path to graduation, Path to diploma. Due to the governmental 2.5 billion HUF subsidy, more than ten thousand children and young people can benefit from this performance-based scholarship programme, the amount depends on the academic results of the pupil/student gained at the end of the previous school year. The programme is ongoing also in the school year 2022/23. (In Hungarian: kormany.hu)

The programme, established by the Hungarian Swimming Association and funded by the Hungarian Government, aims to ensure that all children learn to swim. The goal is to reach more than three hundred thousand children with the involvement of three hundred sport facilities by 2028. As part of this unique programme, swimming education included in the school curriculum as part of the physical education classes is provided free of charge by trained professionals. After completing the curriculum, students will be able to swim one hundred meters in three different swimming strokes continuously, and move safely and confidently in the deep water. The first round of the programme starts with the involvement of about twelve thousand kindergarten and primary school children in twenty cities. The number of cities and participants will be expanded in further stages. (In Hungarian: kormany.hu)

After the school year 2021/2022, additional institutions can become members of the Hungarian Eco-School Network with the help of the new calls for the school year 2022/2023. Every third student in Hungary attends an Eco-School, and can learn and experience -through his/her daily activities- how individual responsibility can be translated into action for a fair, liveable and harmonious future with the natural environment.

In 2021, the Hungarian Eco-School Network received a professional recognition of the Global Education Network Europe (GENE). According to the organization's call for proposals, the submitted programme is encouraging and adaptable to other European countries.

In 2023, the eco-school network expanded with 118 new members, another 91 institutions won the certification for the second time, and 102 schools received the permanent title of eco-school after three successful applications. Together with those newly joining the program, a total of 1,402 eco-schools will operate in Hungary from September.