Hungary - Country Background Information
- Describing the forms of education in the country
- Identifying an ‘inclusive setting’ in the country
- What an ‘official decision of SEN’ means in the country
- What ‘out-of-education’ means in the country
The EASIE data collection covers all recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3.
This means any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector: municipality, local or regional educational provider from the public or private sector, working with/for ministries responsible for education and areas such as health, social, welfare, labour, justice, etc.
In kindergarten, from age 3 to the beginning of school.
In schools, from beginning school (6–7 years) to 16 years.
What are the typical age ranges for the ISCED levels?
| ISCED LEVEL 02 | ISCED LEVEL 1 | ISCED LEVEL 2 | ISCED LEVEL 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-6 | 7-10 | 11-14 | 15-19 |
Public education institutions may be established and operated by the state, nationality self-governments and churches registered in Hungary, as well as other organisations or persons, on condition that they have obtained the right to conduct such activity as laid down by statutory provisions. Kindergartens may also be established and operated by local governments.
The Education Authority can permit home schooling status. Learners who are home-schooled have to take examinations at the end of the academic year.
In the EASIE data collection, an inclusive setting is operationally defined as:
A recognised form of education where the child/learner follows education in mainstream classes alongside their peers for the largest part – 80% or more – of the school week.
The 80% time placement benchmark clearly indicates that a child/learner is educated in a mainstream class for the majority of their school week. At the same time, it acknowledges possibilities for small group or one-to-one withdrawal for limited periods of time (i.e. 20% or one day a week).
Very few participating countries can provide exact data on children/learners spending 80% of their time in a mainstream group/class. However, all countries can apply one of three agreed proxies that provide an approximation to this benchmark:
- Placement in a mainstream class implies over 80% or more
- Data is available on the number of hours of support allocated to a child/learner
- Placement in a mainstream class implies over 50% or more.
In the EASIE data collection, the agreed operational definition is:
An official decision leads to a child/learner being recognised as eligible for additional educational support to meet their learning needs.
Countries may have different types of official decision, but for all official decisions:
- There has been some form of educational assessment procedure involving different people. This procedure may involve the child/learner, parents, school-based team members, as well as professionals from multi-disciplinary teams from outside the child’s/learner’s (pre-)school.
- There is some form of legal document (plan/programme, etc.) that describes the support the child/learner is eligible to receive, which is used as the basis for decision-making.
- There is some form of regular review process of the child/learner’s needs, progress and support.
The ‘expert activity’ (diagnostic committee) is a duty of the pedagogical assistance service institution. In this case, the pedagogical assistance service institution acts as a professional diagnostic committee. The professional diagnostic committee of the county pedagogical assistance service institution draws up an expert opinion based on a complex psychological, pedagogical-special educational and medical examination. It makes suggestions as to the education of children/learners with special educational needs or facing difficulties in integration, learning or behaviour within the framework of special treatment, as well as the method, form and place of education. The professional diagnostic committee conducts a review procedure one academic year later. The expert opinion must be reviewed in every second academic year after the first review, until the academic year in which the learner reaches the age of ten and every three years thereafter until the academic year in which the learner reaches the age of sixteen.
Special needs education is provided in line with the pedagogical assistance service committee’s expert opinion. The head of the committee is a special teacher with professional skills corresponding to the type of disability, and its members are psychologists, medical doctors and specialists. They draw up an expert opinion on the learner examined and based on this they make a proposal for the institution providing kindergarten or school education, as well as for the specific requirements for the learner’s education and teaching.
The head teacher may exempt a learner with special educational needs from evaluation and assessment in certain subjects or parts of subjects based on the expert and rehabilitation committee’s proposal. In cases of exemptions, the learner’s development and catching-up shall be organised as individual activities based on an individual development plan.
Schools educating learners with disabilities can allow a learner more than one academic year to learn the curriculum of a grade in their local curricula. The curriculum is delivered with the help of special equipment, infrastructure and professionals with specialised training over the entire period or part of the education provision.
According to Act CXC of 2011 on National Public Education:
- If the individual capabilities and the development of the learner with special educational needs so require, the head teacher shall exempt them on the basis of the opinion of the expert committee:
- from numerical evaluation and assessment and require written evaluation and assessment instead;
- from evaluation and assessment of certain subjects or parts of subjects, with the exception of practical training.
In the secondary school leaving examination, learners can choose another subject instead of the subjects as defined above, in accordance with the examination rules.
According to Decree No 20/2012 (VIII. 31.) EMMI on the operation of educational institutions and on the use of names of public educational institutions:
- Upon the request of examinees with special education needs substantiated with the expert opinion of a committee of experts, and under the authorisation of the principal:
- the time allotted for answering the written questions for the examinee with special education needs shall be increased by a maximum of thirty minutes;
- the examinee with special educational needs may be allowed to use the tools generally used during their studies;
- examinees with special educational needs may sit an oral examination instead of a written examination.
- Upon the request of examinees with special educational needs substantiated with the expert opinion of a committee of experts, and under the authorisation of the head teacher:
- the preparation time allotted for the examinee with special educational needs shall be increased by a maximum of ten minutes;
- examinees with special educational needs may pass an oral examination in writing.
The professional diagnostic committee shall conduct a review procedure one academic year later. The expert opinion must be reviewed in every second academic year after the first review until the academic year in which the learner reaches the age of ten and every three years thereafter, until the academic year in which the learner reaches the age of sixteen.
Within the EASIE data collection, specific questions examine children/learners who are out of education. This means children/learners who should, by law, be in some form of recognised education, but who are out of any form of recognised education. A recognised form of education is any type of education organised by or approved by any recognised educational provider in the public or private sector.
According to Act on Public Education 2011/CXC, a child may exempt from visiting kindergarten (ISCED 02) until the day of their fifth birthday, on the basis of a request submitted by the parent, if the child’s family circumstances or special situation so justify. Legitimate interests of the child must be taken into account by designated body on authorising the exemption.
The data is taken from the official statistical data collection on public education, which covers recognised forms of education at ISCED levels 02, 1, 2 and 3 except for vocational education at ISCED level 3.