This chapter provides an overview of national reforms and policy developments since 2019. It describes the overall educational strategy and the key objectives across the whole educational system. It also looks at how the educational reform process is implemented and who the main actors are during the decision-making process. Each subchapter is structured around these broad thematic areas: Early childhood education and care, General education, VET and Adult training, Higher Education, Employability and Transversal skills. Within each thematic area, reforms are organised chronologically. The most recent reforms are described first. Finally, the section on the European Perspectives provides links to European strategies.

Overall national education strategy and key objectives

The challenges at present include:

• decreasing the proportion of early leavers from education,
• improving basic competences and increasing the role of schools in dealing with disadvantages in the field of public education,
• reducing the educational performance gap between the institutions,
• improving the efficiency of basic and secondary-level education and consolidating a more efficient and more productive institutional management system in general education,
• creating opportunities for efficient career guidance,
• improving the quality of vocational education and making it more attractive,
• providing the conditions for the extension of dual training and taking economic demands into consideration to a greater extent during the content development of VET and in practical training,
• establishing a more efficient VET institutional system,
• improving the number of students obtaining a tertiary-level degree and the participation of disadvantaged students in tertiary education,
• increasing adult participation in lifelong learning,
• promoting the digital switch-over in the entire educational and training system.

The government adopted the public education strategy for the EU programming period between 2021-2030 in August 2020, its main objective is to achieve an equitable, modern public education system.

Five specific objectives include 14 intervention directions.

Link with the new targets set by the Member States of the EU, the Council:

Decreasing the proportion of early school-leavers

• The number of early school-leavers (percentage of the population aged 18-24 who have not finished at least lower secondary education and also do not participate in further education or training in the last 4 years) is between 11,6 and 12,5 in Hungary from 2015 (  11.6% in 2015, 12.54% in 2016 and 12,5% in 2017, 12.5% in 2018; 11.8 in 2019, 12.1% in 2020). The new target for 2030 is below 9%. The new strategy builds on the achievements of the previous programming period. The compulsory school age starts at the age of 3 instead of 5 from September 2015. The Public Education Act was modified in January 2015, the notion of students at the risk of dropping out was established and an early warning tracking system was stipulated to set up and operate. On the basis of the data extracted from the system, the proportion of students at the risk of drop out was 10. 85 in 2017, 8.86 in 2018, and 7.46 in June 2019.

The training of educational personnel and the support of disadvantaged students in the János Arany and the so called Tanoda Programme is ongoing, Among others, the development comprises situation analysis pertaining to the organisation of local education as well as supporting education, and the preparation of a complex action plan facilitating desegregation. In the course of the implementation of desegregation measures, increased emphasis is placed on the comprehensive planning of education organisational processes, and a more complex analysis of education indicators.

Further development of early childhood institutional education and care

The EU target for 2030 is that the proportion of children between the age of 3 and compulsory school age participating in early childhood education and care shall be 96%. The previous target aimed at children above 4 and it was 95%, Hungary had already achieved it back in 2017 with 95.6%.

The compulsory education starts at the age of 3 in Hungary.

Key developmental directions relating to early childhood institutional education and care:

• ensuring involvement in early childhood education and care to the greatest extent possible;
• Education for children which help to flourish their talent
• professional and infrastructural support to kindergartens in providing education and care that helps bring out the personalities of children, as well as with their activities aimed at preparation for school and the transition between kindergarten and school;
• developing the system of kindergartens and schools offering student teaching opportunities, and reinforcement of their responsibilities.

Measures aiming at improving basic competences and handling disadvantaged students include:

The performance of Hungarian 15-year-olds in the PISA survey reduced slightly between 2009, 2012 and 2015 compared to the previous assessments. In 2018, the results of Hungarian students improved in all three measurement areas. Hungary’s results are close to the OECD average. Differences caused by the family background play less and less role in the performance of Hungarian students, the level of school absenteeism has decreased, and 68% of Hungarian students have declared that they were satisfied with their lives. Of the 79 participating countries, Hungary reached the 29-38th place in the area of literacy (2015: 35-47th), 31-37th in mathematics (2015: 35-39th) and in the field of science the 29-34th (2015: 34-39th) place. Among the neighbouring countries, according to their social and financial situation, Austria and Slovenia reached higher results.

The PISA survey once again pointed out that there are great differences between the excellent and poor performances of students - this has been the state for the past decade in the Hungarian educational system. At the same time, the proportion of underachievers has decreased compared to 2015: 25.3% instead of 27.5% in reading literacy (OECD average: 22.7%), 24.1 % instead of 26% in the field of science (OECD average: 22%) and 25.6% instead of 28% in the field of mathematics (OECD average: 24%). The share of underachievers in all three fields together is 15.5%, the OECD average is 13.3%.

The EU target is that the underachievers in reading literacy, mathematics and sciences be under 9% at the age of 15 for 2030.

The Public Education strategy aims at lowering the number of underachievers, the improvement of schools that underperform and enhancing tailor made supportive education.

Development of digital competences and services

• The significance of digital competences
• Digital infrastructure
• The digital preparedness of teachers

Content development

• Textbook development
• Digital content development
• Development of the public education LMS system

Vocational education and training

A new concept was developed to reform the whole vocational education. The related regulation is effective from 1st January 2020. The Vocational Education Act no LXXX 2019 brings averall changes in the field. New entrants into vocational education- in the school year launched on 1 September 2020- started their studies on the basis of these new regulations.

The three pillars of VET development are the following

1. Career opportunity

• simple, transparent, flexible career system
• direct path to the higher education on the basis of the matura examination results
• grant system

1. Attractive environment

• infrastructure, development programmes (buildings, tools)
• high quality, well equipped apprenticeship classroom to enhance field oriented vocational education  
• digital content

1. Teachers and instructors with up-to-date knowledge

• accredited trainings at companies for instructors
• involvement of engineers, experts of fields in the school programme
• flexible trainings for engineer teachers and instructors of the given field
• development of the methodology for small groups of students to catch up, mentor programme
• QA system tailored for the needs of the vocational education, educator career system
• digital assistants

The target of the EU is that the share of recent graduates from VET benefiting from exposure to work-based learning during their vocational education and training should be at least 60%, by 2025. Due to the dual training system in Hungary, the target seems to be achievable on the basis of previous calculations.

Improving tertiary attainment

The rate of tertiary attainment in Hungary (aged 30-34) is about 33-34% (2020: 33,2%).  The share of 25-34 year-olds with tertiary educational attainment should be at least 45%, by 2030.

The  higher education strategy entitled “Shifting of gears in higher education 2.0” has the target year of 2030. The above strategy set the following main objectives to be achieved in higher education:

• institutions give a quicker and more effective response to labour market demands as a result of organisational changes;
• the local network of higher educational institutions gives a chance for everyone to join higher education;
• increasing the number of students coming from regionally disadvantaged areas, disadvantaged families as well as disabled and Roma students and graduates;
• increasing the number of female students in MTMI / STEM courses;
• increasing the number of students in MTMI / STEM courses
• significantly decreasing the rate of drop-out;
• improving students’ competences related to labour market demands;
• increasing the ratio of students with a higher education degree within a certain age group;
• significantly improving the pedagogical and teaching-methodological preparedness of teachers
• students obtain degrees that are more competitive and provide a more grounded knowledge;
• Hungarian higher education becomes more attractive;
• due to a balanced training structure, institutions have a greater potential to provide trainings at an international level; consequently, their income deriving from these trainings will be higher. 

Adult learning

The rate of Hungarian adult participation (between the age of 25 and 64) in lifelong learning is considered low in the EU (5.1 % compared to an EU-27 average of 9.2% in 2020).

The most important recent policy development in the field of adult learning is the implementation of the modified law on adult training.

Strategic goals in the adult training:

• assessment of the achievements of trainings with the help of a career tracking system.
• responsiveness to the needs of labour market with the help of a renewed labour market forcasting system
• lessening the administrative requirements
• increasing the number of participants in adult training
• new financial incentives (student loan, grants)
• enhancing an adult training system based on learning outcomes, accredited examination centers independent from the trainer/trainer institution

The EU target is that at least 47% of adults aged 25-64  have participated in learning during the last 12 months, by 2025.

Overview of the education reform process and drivers

Educational reform processes are mainly initiated by the Hungarian government, which formulates draft legislation to be presented to the Hungarian Parliament. The Parliament adopts acts (e.g. the Act on General Education, the Act on Higher Education). Strategies as well as curricular documents (e.g. the National Core Programme for Pre-School Education and the National Core Curriculum) are mainly adopted by the government.

The Minister responsible for education is in charge of:

• evaluating the implementation of the National Core Pre-School Programme and the National Core Curriculum at least every five years (relying on a council established by him) and propose amendment if necessary,
• developing a strategy for general education,
• establishing, developing and modernising the system of national examinations,
• assessing pedagogical problems emerging in public education and developing solutions and procedures for them,
• developing and issuing educational programmes.

The Educational Authority –founded by the government and a key actor in the educational sector - also participates in the development of strategic documents and programmes.

Since May 2018, the Minister responsible for innovations and technology is in charge of vocational education and adult education. The National Office of Vocational Education and Training is also under the guidance of the ministry.

The HE sector was moved under the auspices of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology from the Ministry of Human Capacities.

A government decree regulates the scope of tasks and responsibilities.

The main consultative bodies are:

• the National Public Education Council (OKNT) which is a proposer, a reviewer and a consultative body of the Minister responsible for education. It prepares proposals and expresses its opinion on issues related to educational policy, research and development. Besides, it gives an opinion on the draft version of the National Core Curriculum, framework curricula as well as their implementation. Its members are appointed by the Minister. The list of members and the agenda of the Council is online available. The National Public Education Council was reformed in 2017. Government Decree no. 1382/2017. (VI.16.) describes the formation of the National Public Education Council (OKNT), the Roundtable on General Educational Strategy and the Council of National Minorities. Out of the 17 members of the OKNT, six members are delegated by professional organisations; two members are delegated by teacher training institutions.
• Pursuant to Government Decree no. 1382/2017. (VI.16.), the Roundtable on General Educational Strategy was established. The Roundtable on General Educational Strategy is a social consultative body which makes proposals, gives opinions and carries out strategic counselling activity with five stakeholders: the government, the professional participants, the maintainers, the trade union and the student-parent organisations. The professional group includes the representatives of the national organisation of teachers , the academies (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Arts), the Rectors’ Conference, the practising schools and the National Public Education Council (OKNT).
• the Council of National Minorities: a consultative body of the minister responsible for education submitting proposals. Its members (13) are delegated by the national governments of national minorities.

• Dual Training Council: its task is to define quality requirements and the development of dual training in higher education and support the development of dual programmes.
• Hungarian Rectors’ Conference: a consultative body representing the interests of higher education institutions. Its members are the rectors of higher education institutions.
• National Doctoral Council: it consists of the chairs of the doctoral councils of higher education institutions. It is consulted on matters of doctoral training, granting doctoral degrees and also for example the distribution of state-funded places in doctoral training.

In addition anti-segregation working teams shall be set up in every school district at local level on the basis of the modifications -effective from November 2017 - of the Government Decree No 134/2018 (VI.10.) on the establishment of school district councils. The tasks of the teams are to monitor desegregation and to propose initiatives against it. Furthermore, they monitor the distribution of students and help public-maintainer dialogue.