Situation Report about current Hungarian Higher Education

Transcription

1 Situation Report about current Hungarian Higher Education The Trade Union of Employees in Higher Education (FDSZ) with fellow trade unions, with academic and school education boards reached a consensus that a new law of higher education is required along the following principles: - the aim of the Hungarian higher education is the public good - the higher education is based on relationships between students and teachers - most important task is knowledge learning needed for intellectual creative activity - the question of quality is one of the most important target - the future role of the government in the financing and development should be decided. LEGISLATION New national law on higher education antecedents 24 June 2010: the state secretary for school education introduces new national law on higher education will be prepared 3 March 2011: government regulation: 16,4 milliard HUF to be blocked in higher education 15 April 2011: Széll Kálmán plan: by 2014 the government plans number of students financed by state budget to reduce from 56,000 to 30,000 3 May 2011: deputy state secretary responsible for higher education: the positions and abilities of educational government in enforcing interests were getting bad 19 November December 2011: parliamentary debate phase: 7 amendments sent by FDSZ. Activities of FDSZ connected to new law on national higher education Trade Union of Employees in Higher Education took part on several forums, but written materials suitable for opinion arrived occasionally - though the responsible state secretary is obliged by the law No. 2010: CXXXI. and in spite of the fact that the first deputy state secretary responsible for higher education promised two times FDSZ to be represented in the work of expert advisory panel responsible for preparation of legislative proposals. FDSZ was never invited to this panel. FDSZ promulgated number of opinions about the new law on higher education: - Opinion on the plan of new law on higher education (3 October 2011) - Opinion on the draft new law on higher education (26 October 2011) - Opinion of FDSZ about the law on national higher education (28 December 2011) - Opinion on the plan of directions of national higher education politics of development (21 May 2012) - Resolution of FDSZ about the coming into force of new law on national school education (Law No. CXC.) (9 October 2012)

2 After the acceptance of the new law on higher education: - conciliation about the students contract - rapid change of deputy state secretaries responsible for higher education (three of them between 2010 and 2012) - the educational topic finally separated: the state secretary for education is responsible for school education and became a new position: the state secretary for higher education. The position of deputy state secretary for higher education was not changed. Following step of the government towards higher education: Government Resolution No. 1428/2012 (8 October 2012): 49 thousand million HUF to be blocked in higher education. Following step of the government towards higher education: Modification of the Fundamental Law: Students contracts: shortly: in 20 years the graduate should work in Hungary twofold time of his/her higher educational training ( years), otherwise he/she should pay educational expenditure back to the state. The government should be very careful not to harm the freedom of movement (see: four freedoms of EU). Future plans of the government: introducing so called chancellery system: could damage the institutional autonomy. Modification of law on strike: organizing strikes is almost impossible. SITUATION REPORT - the Hungarian government a few weeks before the application deadline modified the indicators (admission-rate) radically: in ,769 students started their studies in higher educational institutions, in 2012 there were 79,861. From them 51,242 students on state budget (in 2011 this sum was: 67,035). During the preliminary procedure the admission-rates were revised several times - the government almost abolished the state-financed economist and lawyer studies and notably reduced the state-financed places on social sciences and arts studies - the Student Loan II was introduced - makes students running into debts significantly and also the general government because the Student Loan is state construction - during spring 2012 the news were come from the government about reorganising universities and high schools (by creating so called zones and/or poles. Information from the news:: by 1 September 2012 there will be only 12 universities and 4 high schools from 29 state financed higher educational institutions). - in 2012 the government blocked (took away) from higher educational institutions budget 34 thousand million HUF ( results : continuous budget re-planning, reducing operational expenditures, reducing material expenditure (printed and electronical sources, databases, conferences, books, acquisition of informatics materials etc.), reducing number of contracts with lecturers, retirements, carbon-holiday etc.)

3 Budgetary financing of the Hungarian higher education: 2008: 191 milliard HUF 2009: 186 milliard HUF 2010: 180 milliard HUF 2011: 170 milliard HUF 2012: 157 milliard HUF 2013: 134 milliard HUF 2014: the goal is to form a self-sustaining higher education 12 September 2012: Hungarian Prime Minister: the system of higher education should be self-sustaining. (The government spends approx. 0.5% of the national budget for higher education only.) 7 June 2012: FDSZ asked the responsible deputy state secretary to organize meeting of Conciliation of Interests in Higher Education Council - the answer: in September 26 June 2012: government announces: the deputy state secretary will leave 15 September 2012: new deputy state secretary responsible for higher education - in 2013 the government blocked another sum from higher educational institutions budget. Results of the hard talks with the government: government resolutions rule the amounts for researcher universities for universities of national excellence and assents for some EU funded projects at some universities. For now, these are laid in the official journal and universities cannot plan their budget for communication of the government: there is a need of a reform of higher education because there are so many unusable degrees issued by the higher educational institutions. But: according to the international data about labour market higher educational qualification could make stability on the labour market. Rates of graduates (age-groups, %): EU 20% 25% 29% 35% Hungary 18% 22% 27% 32% lag of Hungary 2-4% 5-8% 8-10% 8-11% Source: Education at a Glance, 2010 Unemployment data: in respect of graduates the unemployment rate in Hungary is lower (3,9%) than the EU average (5,1%).

4 According to Europe 2020 strategy the 40% of young generation to be graduated by Hungarian National Reform Program undertakes: 30.3%. According to the new population census (2011) the rate of graduates in Hungary is 17% (in 2001 this rate was 11%). Age groups of matriculation are reducing: 2010: 125,838 pupils 2011: 120, : 115, : 113, : 111, : 105, : 99, : 97, : 94,963 ACTIONS, HAPPENINGS (selected, the most important events): 8 November 2012: FDSZ solidarity with trade unions operating in school education 6 December 2012: FDSZ protests against restrictive measures connected to higher education and rough reduction of state-financed admission-rates 10 December 2012: students forum attended by FDSZ (Szeged, Debrecen) 16 December 2012: petition: Negotiations for higher education! later: petitions For school education and Support of students six points 17 December 2012: establishment of State Higher Educational Conciliatory Forum 18 December 2012: Contribution of Hungarian Rectors Conference 19 December 2012: Walking for higher education, attended by FDSZ (Szeged) 20 December 2012: for the initiative of the president of FDSZ plenary session of Conciliation of Interests in Higher Education Council was finally organized by the government 4 January 2013: Free-University - academic lectures attended by FDSZ (Szeged) 31 January 2013: The Higher Educational Round Table of three work groups (strategic, finance, and students rights and responsibilities) was established with the following participants: government representatives (state secretary, deputy state secretary, students self-government conference, economic partners, Hungarian Rectors Conference. FDSZ the most significant trade union in higher education was not included at this time (30 January 2013: Press release of FDSZ: The Ministry made big mistake again!) 4 February 2013: the responsible minister promised FDSZ to be include into the negotiations

5 6 February 2013: FDSZ experts were included in the Round Table discussions. 11 February 2013: Higher education Demonstrations country-wide and with FDSZ attendance in Szeged (For the University! - speech by the president of FDSZ organization at University of Szeged) 13 February 2013: School education Demonstrations country-wide, and attended by FDSZ (Szeged) 22 February 2013: Minister responsible for Human Resources, Zoltán Balog invited the president of FDSZ (Szilárd Tőrös) to the plenary of the round table 1 March 2013: FDSZ is represented by Szilárd Törös, the president of FDSZ. The negotiations are heading to a constructive solution of the problems. In several critical points the Government accepted the proposals of the FDSZ and the Rector s Conference. The negotiations continue in April and might be prolonged while the five parties reach a consensus. Conclusions Trade Union of Employees in Higher Education and its affiliated organizations countrywide and at institutional level, too, gave voice against governmental measures connected to Hungarian higher education by several contributions and communications or press releases. FDSZ continuously insists that government should negotiate and maintain partnerships with trade unions and other organizations representing the higher education. The recent negotiations resulted in a better understanding of the current situation inside the government. The government increased drastically the financing of the quality higher education, and the government plans to fully finance considerably larger number of students ( vs ) from the public money, and some other results also show up gradually. All these protests were not in vain, and the first results occur. But the earlier simplistic view of the self-financing higher education should be changed, and this requires a longer time and continuous effort from the FDSZ and the fellow organizations.