LITERACY IN HUNGARY COUNTRY REPORT ADULTS. March 2016

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1 LITERACY IN HUNGARY COUNTRY REPORT ADULTS March 2016 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views of its authors only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.

2 This report reflects the point of view of literacy professionals assembled in this network. It is still a work in progress since we continue to gather and update information on literacy in Romania up to the year The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes, provided the extract is preceded by a reference to ELINET, followed by the date of publication of the document. Main author B Literacy Policy: Zoltán Várkonyi Report edited by Jenny Litster and David Mallows (UCL Institute of Education) Coordinator of the ELINET-Project University of Cologne Prof. Dr. Christine Garbe Institut für Deutsche Sprache und Literatur Richard-Strauss-Str Köln Cologne Germany christine.garbe@uni-koeln.de 2

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS A Performance in Literacy... 4 B Literacy Policy Provision Quality monitoring Literacy curricula/reading instruction Screenings/assessments/support Special support for second-language learners/migrants Reading environments to stimulate reading motivation Digital environments/use of technology in education Teachers Teacher education Policy-making

4 A PERFORMANCE IN LITERACY As Hungary did not take part in PIAAC the OECD s Survey of Adult Skills, and has not carried out any recent national surveys of adult literacy there is no data available on levels of literacy among the adult population. 4

5 B LITERACY POLICY 5

6 1 Provision 1.1 What types of adult literacy provision are there? What do you consider to be adult literacy provision in your country? There is no specific literacy provision of adults in Hungary. However, there are programmes and projects, which have a literacy element included within them. These projects are time-limited (generally they run for 18 months to two years), focus on specific target groups (for example, unemployed people involved in public work schemes), and are diverse in size and scope. There are a number of local projects funded from ESF or other Cohesion Funds that have literacy elements. For adults who have not completed primary education, there are offers on the open market from training providers that enable them to complete primary education. In many cases, participation costs are paid by the labour office or another donor or programme. These courses can include literacy elements, but mostly focus on fulfilling the minimum requirements for the completion of primary education classes. The NYITOK network incorporates 50 open learning centres located in libraries, cultural houses and other community sites; the 50 centres are spread all over the country. These centres offer learning programmes to improve employability, personal development and active citizenship; programmes for digital competences and foreign languages are very popular. There is a strong focus on courses related to the improvement of basic skills, among them courses which have literacy embedded into the specific thematic of the learning programme. 1.2 How is adult literacy provision funded? The majority of adult literacy is currently funded through EU structural and cohesion funds or other international development funds. Completion of primary education is funded by the national state budget. 1.3 Is there a statutory entitlement to literacy provision up to a certain level? No. 1.4 What is the rate of participation in adult learning, workplace training, and liberal adult education? Hungary has one of the lowest rates of participation in adult learning in Europe (see table below) 1. The participation rate of adults (aged 25-64) in primary education has remained the same for several years at approximately 2000 people per annum. 1 Data from Eurostat: 6

7 Table 1: Lifelong learning participation rates EU (28 countries) EU (27 countries) Euro area (18 countries) Euro area (17 countries) Hungary There is a strong connection between economic activity and participation is education and training. The participation rate by economically active adults is significantly higher than that experienced by the economically inactive population. Educational attainment also influences participation: 10% of working age adults with low education participated in some form of formal learning, climbing to 30% of those with secondary education and 50% of those with higher education 1.5 Are studies available on factors that inhibit or prevent participation in literacy education and in using literacy outside educational contexts? If yes, what are the factors? No such studies are available. 1.6 What progression routes are there from adult basic education courses to VET/HE courses? Most of the time, completion of primary education (formally all the 8 grades) is the precondition to get access to any kind of adult VET programmes. Some vocational qualifications (mainly so-called partial qualifications ) can be gained through programmes starting with competence assessment; in such cases, the completion of primary education is not required. 1.7 Does a right to information, advice and guidance (IAG) regarding educational opportunities exist? If yes, who provides this IAG? The advice and guidance system in Hungary is not very well developed. Although labour offices have piloted some programmes, and there are local initiatives, there is no mainstream service that adults can access and that runs across the country. 2 Quality monitoring 2.1 Is there an inspection service to monitor the quality of adult literacy providers (including classroom practice)? There is no monitoring of the quality of adult literacy providers. In general, registered adult learning programmes (i.e. programmes financed from public resources) can be inspected by the authorities. Inspection mainly focuses on the fulfilment of formal requirements and administrative obligations. 2.2 Are there national quality standards for the quality of adult literacy providers? There are no specific quality standards for adult literacy providers. 7

8 2.3 Are there national benchmarks / standards for adult literacy performance? How are adults progress in reading and writing assessed / monitored? There are no national standards. Where a programme s aim is to provide a basic (elementary) school certificate, learners are assessed against the literacy requirements set for primary schools. 2.4 What accountability measures are in place for adult education providers? There is a national accreditation system for adult learning providers (under the general provisions for general and vocational adult learning programmes revised in 2012), whereby programme descriptions, including those for literacy programmes, must be submitted in advance to the National Authority for Vocational and Adult Education for inclusion in the database. Planned implementation arrangements also have to be reported. Inspectors can visit the providers when programmes are being implemented to check compliance with the preliminary submitted description of the learning programme. 3 Literacy curricula/reading instruction 3.1 Is there a national literacy curriculum framework for adults? How is this linked to school curricula? There is no national literacy curriculum framework for adults. Most of the time, an adapted version of the primary school curriculum is used with adults. 3.2 What is the accepted methodology for the teaching of literacy to adults? There is no accepted methodology: different approaches and methods are used by different providers. 3.3 How do curricula and learning materials cater for diversity of learner groups and learning needs? There are no specific requirements from external organisations to ensure the incorporation of diversity of needs. Nevertheless, in the national network of open learning centres (NYITOK programme), there is a strong focus on taking into consideration and adapting the learning programmes in accordance with the diversity of needs. 3.4 Is there a specific focus on literacy in VET provision for adults? Until very recently, there was no specific focus on literacy in VET provision. However, the National Qualification Framework which was established in 2014, defines a learning outcome for each vocational programme, including outcomes related to basic skills. 8

9 4 Screenings/assessments/support 4.1 How are adults with literacy needs identified? Some of the individual programmes referred to in Section 1.1 have developed and used tests to identify adults with literacy needs; in most instances, however, having no primary or vocational qualification is seen as an indication of having literacy needs. 4.2 How are adults prior literacy knowledge and skills recognised and validated? Some programmes have developed specific tests to recognise and validate skills and knowledge, but there is no general approach or practice for this. 4.3 Are there any standard tests to assess literacy needs or learning progress in literacy programmes? There are some very basic tests, but these are largely still in the experimental phase. In most instances, tests from primary education are used. 4.4 How are adults with dyslexia identified and supported? There is no specific provision for adults with dyslexia, so identification and support are dependent on individual teachers. 5 Special support for second-language learners/migrants Is there literacy provision for adult migrants whose home language is not the official language of the host country? There are very few migrants in Hungary: there is some provision but this is very limited. Who pays for this provision? Programmes are either funded by the State or are externally-funded by the EU. Does this provision employ specialist teachers? Yes. Is there specialist provision for those who have poor literacy skills in their L1? No. Is there a separate national curriculum framework for this type of provision? No. 9

10 6 Reading environments to stimulate reading motivation 6.1 Are there schemes to promote reading and writing for pleasure among adults? There are no such schemes. 6.2 Is there systematic cooperation with civil society e.g. libraries, bookstores, literature institutions, theatres, media, newspapers, publishers etc. in reading and writing promotion for adults? This kind of cooperation does not take place at a national level, although there may be such cooperation at the local level. 6.3 Are there family literacy programmes with a focus on supporting adult literacy? A 20-hour family literacy programme was developed as part of the NYITOK initiative 2 running in the 50 Open Learning Centres. There are unlikely to be other family literacy programmes in Hungary. 7 Digital environments/use of technology in education 7.1 Is there a digital gap? How are adults supported in acquiring literacy and digital skills? Adults are supported in gaining digital literacy mainly through larger-scale EU projects and programmes. Based on data from the Adult Education Survey there is no digital gap in Hungary in terms of gender. Those with low levels of education and older people use computers and the Internet less frequently. Just over one-fifth of people with primary education only use computers and three-quarters of people with primary education only have never used Internet. 7.2 Which population groups are excluded from access to ICTs due to lack of literacy skills? Those on a low income and older adults (aged 50+) are excluded from ICT access. 7.3 Are there any web-based or mobile-based programmes for adults to improve their literacy No. & numeracy skills?

11 7.4 What classroom resources (E-books, notebooks, internet, mobile phones ) are used to support the development of adults literacy? In general, there are not many ICT resources used in the classroom, but in the NYITOK Network, all the above resources are available in the 50 Open Learning Centres. 8 Teachers 8.1 What are the professional roles within adult literacy education? In general, adult educator is the professional role that is recognised. Counsellors were piloted by the PES programmes, but this role was not permanent or widespread. Among larger providers, there is sometimes a role for a course organiser. The role of learning integrator is specific to the NYITOK: it is a combined role for assessing learning needs at community level, identifying potential programmes, partners for implementation, and he/she also organises courses, takes part in the provision of learning programmes, makes sure that adequate learning processes are in place, as well as ensures the general management of the open learning centre (communication with partners, learning counsellors, and basic skill teachers). 8.2 What is the status/reputation of teachers and other professionals who work in adult literacy education? Those working in adult education have a very low status/reputation. 8.3 What are their working conditions? The working conditions of adult educators are precarious; employment is usually secured only on a casual, project to project basis, and teachers receive very little external support. Educators on the NYITOK programme, by contrast, receive permanent professional support in different forms, get preparatory training for the job, and work in good quality adult education facilities and devices. 8.4 How do salaries compare to the national average? Teachers are mainly paid an hourly rate: it is rare for an adult literacy teacher to have a full-time, or even a part-time, contract. Salaries are generally far lower than the national average (net 600 Euro per month). 11

12 9 Teacher education 9.1 What are the statutory qualification requirements for adult literacy teachers? By legislation, adult educators are required to have either a teaching diploma (of any kind) or an adult educator diploma. There are no statutory requirements for adult literacy teachers. 9.2 Are there specialist qualification routes for adult literacy teachers? There are no specialist qualification routes. 9.3 What are the entry requirements for Initial Teacher Education for adult literacy teachers? There is no initial teacher education for adult literacy teachers. 9.4 Who pays for initial teacher education? In general, training organised within larger projects or national programmes is funded through EU and other development programmes, or in some cases the national labour fund 9.5 Is there a curriculum framework for adult literacy initial teacher training? No. 9.6 Are there compulsory (or optional) language and literacy modules in all adult education No. ITE? 9.7 What is the length of the required initial teacher training? Not applicable. 9.8 Are there quality standards for ITE? No. 9.9 Is there continuous professional development (in-service training) for teachers which focuses on literacy development? No such CPD is available in general, unless it is integrated into a project/programme What is the take-up among teachers? As such training is limited to specific initiatives, very few teachers can access the training Who delivers this training? Training is delivered by the Hungarian Association for Lifelong Learning and the Hungarian Folk high school Association. 12

13 9.12 How is it quality assured? There is no systematic quality assurance process; instead ad hoc measures are used in different projects and programmes. 10 Policy-making 10.1 Who is involved in policy-making for adult literacy education? Responsibility for adult literacy education is shared in between the Ministry for Human Resources and the Ministry for National Economy; in practice, however, there tends to be an assumption that the Ministry for Human Resources has oversight of adult basic and general education while the Ministry for National Economy is responsible for adult vocational education. The involvement of other stakeholders, such as NGOs, providers or businesses, is rather ad-hoc in the field of adult literacy policy How is inter-sectoral and interministerial cooperation promoted and coordinated? Inter-sectoral or interministerial coordination is very poor, ad hoc or does not happen What financing mechanisms exist that facilitate inter-sectoral cooperation? European Structural Funds, especially the European Social Fund, require inter-sectorial cooperation Which policies promote for the provision of broad and varied access to adult literacy education? In the last five years, such policies include: ESF Funded Programmes (this is the main source) Programs carried out by the Türr István National Training Institute for the long-term unemployed Programmes for the prisoners NYITOK Network of Open Learning Centres for Social Inclusion However, these initiatives are by nature short-lived projects that end when funding ends. There are no longer-term, coordinated measures; moreover, several national programmes initiated by different ministries run in parallel with different approaches and sometimes with overlapping target groups, meaning that there is a competition in between the programmes for the target groups How are the motivation, interests and needs of adults taken into account in the policymaking processes? The motivation, interests and needs of adults are rarely taken into account. In policy making the focus is on adults gaining formal qualifications, as these are considered incentives to entry into the workforce. By contrast, the NYITOK programme has placed considerable emphasis on adults interest and needs, but this programme is not mainstream government policy. 13

14 10.6 Does government promote adult literacy in its lifelong learning policy? In the newly accepted (October 2014) Lifelong Learning Strategy for basics skills and adult literacy are highlighted as important area of intervention, but no specific measures are outlined. 14