DOCUMENT RESUME ED 039 635 EA 002 865 AUTHOR Braham, Randolph L. TITLE Education in the Hungarian People's Republic. INSTITUTION City Univ. of New York, N.Y. City Coll. SPONS AGENCY Office of Education (DHEW) , Washington, D.C. REPORT NO 0E-14140 PUB DATE 70 CONTRACT OEC-1-6001002-0802 NOTE 239p. AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (GPO FS 5.214:14140, $1.25) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$1.00 HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Administrative Organization, Bibliographies, *Communism, Cultural Background, *Education, Educational History, Educational Philosophy, Elementary Education, *Foreign Culture, Higher Education, Political Socialization, Preschool Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, Statistical Data, Teacher Education, Vocational Education, Youth Programs IDENTIFIERS *Hungary ABSTRACT This report contains a comprehensive examination of all major levels and types of education in the _Hungarian educational system under communism. The structure, process, philosophy, and history of Hungarian education are described in 10 chapters: (1) "The Country's Background"; (2) "The Educational Inheritance"; (3) "The Postwar Educational System"; (4) "Pre-Elementary Education"; (5) "Elementary and Secondary Education"; (6) "Vocational and Technical Education";(7) "Higher Education"; (8) "Teachers and Teacher Education"; (9) "Special Types of Education"; and (10) "Youth and Sport Organizations." Appended materials inclule a glossary; lists of: higher education institutions, institutions specializing in teacher training, and major research institutes; and a topical bibliography. (JH) 00/5 ;I tr% isr' /kr/ V4.) Pe\ Education lathe nungarian Veople9s Republic HIGHLIGHTS Until the middle of the 19th century the churches played a dominant role in Hungarian education and they continued to exercise great influ- ence until 1948, when, with school nationalization, education became exclusively a State affair. National educational policy is formulated by the Hungarian Socialist Workers (Communist) Party and is implemented under. Party guidance by the central andiocal governmental organs. The educational system of the Hungarian People's Republic evolved during the 1960's out of measures adopted during well-differentiated phases in the Government's pursuit of socialism. Hungarian education aims to provide general and professional train- ing in order to satisfy the economy's requirements for skilled labor and .kto develop in students at all levels a Marxist-Leninist concept of life anCommunist morality. Th exclusive concern of the State, education is financed from the general State budget, the budgets of particular ministries sponsoring or operating educational establishments, and the budgets of the people's councils. One of Hungary's farthest-reaching and most posithe educa,tional re- forms during the post -World War II era was to establish 8 -year \ elemen- tary ("general") schools (altdlanos iskoldk) offering free and compulsory education for children ages 6 through 14. Between 1937-38 and 1966-67, enrollments at each educational level increased as shown below: Level 1937-38 1966-67 Kindergarten 112,100 192,000 /8-year elementary ("general") 1,096,000 1,380,000 Secondary (academic) 30,593 188,666 Higher (general) 11,747 89,544 In Hungary's centralized, planned economic system, vocational edu- cation basically means training for a specific job or function in agricul- ture, industry, or trade, as required by the country's constantly changing occupational needs. COVER An example of Hungarian decorative art dating back to the 9th-century metalsmiths. OE-14140 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THii DOCUMENTHAS BEEN REPRODUCED EX &r;.Y AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORG.LAIZATION ORIGINATING VIEW OR OPINIONS IT. POINTS OF STATED DO NOT NECES- SARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OFEDU- CATIOWPOSITION OR POLICY. RANDOLPH L. BRAHAM The City College of the City University of New York U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION ROBERT H. FINCH Secretary JAMES E. ALLEN, JR. Assistant Secretary and Commissioner of Education INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ROBERT LEESTMA Associate Commissioner for International Education This report was made by Randolph L. Braham, The City College of the City University of New York, pursuant to Contract No. OEC-1-6001002-0802, with the Office of Education, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Opinions expressed in the report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official policy of the U.S. Office of Education. Superintendent of Documents Catalog No. FS 5.214:14140 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE Washington :1970 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price $1.25 II Foreword This report on Hungarian education isone of many Office of Educa- tion reports over theyears on education in countries outside the United States. A comprehensive study of all major levels andtypes of education in the Hungarian educationalsystem, it is the first such scholarly study, as far as can be ascertained, to present a report on Hungarian education under Communism to American readers. The author, Dr. Randolph L. Braham, professorat The City College of the City University of New York, bringsto the present study his previous experiences in preparing two other publications for the Office of EducationEducation in the Rumanian People's Republic(1963) and Israel: A Modern Education System (1966).To the task of prepar- ing all three studies he has brought painstaking scholarship, fluencyin the native languages, and personal knowledge of the countries. For this study on Hungarian education the author has again engaged in extensive documentary research. In the United States heconsulted collections on Hungarian education locatedat Teachers College in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington, and the library ofthe U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in Washington. In Hungary, he examined major collections locatedat various libraries and archives, including the Pedagogical Library in Budapest. The education specialists whom the author consulted inHungary included some associated with the Hungarian Ministry of Culture,as well as others associated with educational and cultural institutions and organizations. He consulted also with U.S. officials stationed in Buda- pest. He received advice and suggestions from many education specialists in the United States. The Office of Education and the author wish to thank all these special- ists and officials for their interest and help. Particular thanksare due Mr. Ed Alexander, Cultural Officer, U.S. Embassy in Budapest; Dr. Sandor Kiss, sociologist and national editor of East Europe, and Miss Marion Szigethy, librarian, both in New York. ROBERT LEETMA Associate Commissioner for International Education III Contents Page Foreword III L The Country's Background 1 Geography 1 People 1 History 2 Government 4 The Communist Party 5 II. The Educational Inheritance 9 Retrospect 9 Administration 10 Structure 11 Teacher Training 19 Higher Education 20 III. The Postwar Educational System 23 Evolution 23 Principles and Goals 28 Organization and Administration 29 Financing Education 36 Types of Education and Training 37 Enrollment 40 IV. Pre-Elementary Education 43 Evolution 43 The Changes of 1953 44 Nurseries 44 Kindergartens 45 Enrollment 47 IV Page V. Elementary and Secondary Education 49 Evolution 49 The Free and Compulsory School System 50 Organization: Structure and Functions 51 Buildings and Equipment 52 Administration: Structure and Functions 53 Relations With Organizations and Institutions 55 Curriculums and Syllabuses 57 Textbooks 65 Examinations and Grading 67 Awards and Penalties 69 Tuition, Scholarships, and Assistance 69 Types of Schools 70 Health and Health Services 86 Employment and Further Education of Graduates 87 VI. Vocational and Technical Education 90 Evolution and Scope 90 Structure 91 Enrollment 95 Higher Technikums and Higher Technical Schools 95 VII. Higher Education 101 Post-World War II Evolution 101 Aims and Principles 103 Organization and Structure 103 Admissions 107 Types .of Institutions 109 Financing 125 Examinations and Grading 127 Scientific Degrees and Their Requirements 127 EValuation of Foreign Degrees 130 Enrollment 130 Placement of Graduates 131 The Teaching Faculty 133 The Hungarian Academy of Sciences 136 VIII. Teachers and Teacher Education 140 Postwar Problems and Objectives 140 Retraining 140 Organization and Functions 142 The Department of Education in Universities 155 Employment and Conditions of Service 158 Further Education of Tear'xrs 161 Education Research 163 The Teachers Union 167 Page IX. Special Types of Education 169 Adult Education 169 Music and Art Education 172 Education of the Handicapped 172 Military Education 173 Party Education 175 X. Youth and Sport Organizations 178 Scope 178 The Pioneer Movement 180 The Communist Youth League 182 Collegiums 189 Sport Organizations 192 Appendixes A. Glossary 199 B. Hungarian Higher Education Institutions of University or College Caliber: 1968 207 C. Hungarian Education Institutions PrimarilySpecializing in Training Technicians or Lower-Elementary and Kindergarten Teachers: 1968 212 D. Major Hungarian Research Institutes: 1963 217 E. Bibliography 220 Tables 1. Number of kindergartens, teachers, and pupils, by typeof kindergarten: 1937-38 and 1941-42 11 2. Number of hours per week, per subject,