Thousands of Hungarians were yesterday to join a demonstration against the centralization of the education system, raising pressure on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to reverse policies that angered faculty and left classrooms short of basic items such as light bulbs and chalk.
Seven thousand people confirmed their attendance at a planned demonstration in Budapest yesterday, according to responses to a Facebook invitation to the protest.
Another 7,500 indicated they might attend the event, which is to be the second time teachers take to the streets this month.
The protest was scheduled to start at 11am in front of the Hungarian National Assembly, where parents and students were to join teachers to demand a return of autonomy on matters ranging from school financing to curricula.
While Orban’s Fidesz party had more support last month than all of the opposition parties combined, according to a TARKI Social Research Institute poll, the demonstrations showed simmering anger among many people against some government policies.
The government last week replaced the official in charge of public education and held a forum to discuss changes, without convincing protesters to back down.
Many demonstrators’ groups boycotted the talks after Orban ruled out any radical overhaul.
“The protest has already reached surprising results, such as the resignation of the state secretary that is pretty unusual for a Fidesz politician,” Budapest-based research institute Policy Solutions analyst Tamas Boros said. “The Orban government has never had any intention to discuss its plans with various social and professional groups. The question is whether it would backtrack on its decisions in such an important field as education.”
While the government has acknowledged some glitches in its centralized education system, the ruling party accused the opposition of stoking the protests.
Centralization has been a hallmark of the administration run by Orban, who has amassed more power than any of his predecessors since the end of communism.
Since taking office in 2010, his ruling Fidesz used its parliamentary majority to change the constitution and appoint allies to head institutions, including the constitutional court, in steps now mimicked by the new Polish government.
More than 32,000 people — including parents and teachers at hundreds of schools across Hungary — have signed an online petition in support of Herman Otto high school in the northeastern city of Miskolc, where disgruntled faculty first went public with their demands for changes.
Teachers published an open letter to the government in November last year complaining of excessive centralization, overworked and underpaid teachers and overburdened students.
A study by a government institute echoed the complaints.
Thousands took the streets on Feb. 3. in Miskolc, 180km northeast of Budapest, joined by demonstrations in 10 other cities that day.
Hungarian education spending plunged by more than 20 percent between 2008 and 2012, the most among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to a survey.
Fellow OECD members and regional peers Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic all boosted spending in that period.
The Hungarian government has since begun to raise teacher salaries and said the protesters are trying to achieve further increases.
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