Education in Hungary: challenges and recent developments Improving literacy skills across learning CIDREE Conference, Budapest Halász Gábor OFI/ELTE

School education in Hungary Social, economic and political context Major recent trends – General trends – Development actions Challenges

Thank you for your attention

Social, economic, political context One of the central European „transition countries” Key contextual data –Macroeconomic trendsMacroeconomic trends –Labour market activityLabour market activity –DemographyDemography EU accession (2004) Landslide political change (2010)

Growth, inflation, state budget deficit

Activity rate in EU countries (2014) Source: Eurstat

Number of live birth Leaving school Entering school >>

Major changes since 2010 Lowering compulsory age Centralisation –Curriculum, textbooks –School maintenanceSchool maintenance Vocational education (transfer to sectoral ministries) Expenses Teachers Quality New education sector strategies (2014)

The structure of the system

Number of public institutions by maintainers 2012/13 and 2013/14 Source: Statistical Yearbook of Education 2012/2013 Klebelsberg Institution Maintenance Centre (state agency) Local self- governments 2012/132013/142012/132013/14 Kindergartens Basic schools General secondary schools

Expenditure Source: Statistical Yearbook of Education 2013/2014

New teacher promotion system Categories –Novice teacher –Teacher I –Teacher II –Master teacher –Researcher teacher Competence based evaluation based on individual portfolios Master and researcher teacher categories still under discussion

Quality Quality/equity problems National Assessment of Basic Competences (since 2001) New inspection system –Teachers –Schools –School leaders

Source: PISA 2009 PISA 2012 results

The system of „National Assessment of Basic Competencies” Every pupil assessed in grades 6th, 8th and 10th National tests in literacy and numeracy Individual student identification number used Background data collected on students and schools Centralised scoring of tests at national level by the national managing agency (Educational Authority) Reporting at four levels –National –National level (for the public and decision-makers) –Local –Local level (to every maintainers) –School –School level (to every school) –Pupil –Pupil level (to every school and parent)

The uses of NABC NABC Different stakeholders use it for different purposes Summative assessment of individual pupils School evaluation and accountability Formative assessment of individual pupils for improving learning School improvement Informing parents for school choice Research

Development EU funded development programs: since 2004 Major targets –Social integration programs targeted at the Roma population –Curriculum/textbook development (recently based on testing in practice) –Teacher professional development and pedagogical support systems The impact of interventions

Support and professional development Continuous professional development –Recognising non-formal learning –Credit system proposal Master and researcher teachers –Agents of innovation –Linking with innovation strategy Spreading good practices –School networks, knowledge sharing –Good practice collections

Teachers starting to use methods not used before (% of those participating in curriculum oriented development programs, N=1313)

The impact of interventions in schools in function of „knowledge intensity” (Source: Fazekas, 2014)

The components of „knowledge intensity” Leadership supporting knowledge sharing Organisational climate supporting knowledge sharing Teacher learning in school Horizontal cooperation Organisational openness Use of data Involvement in development actions

Strategy for education sector innovation (2015) Priorities and intervention areas Horizontal implementation priorities Professionalization of teaching Developing knowledge sharing and knowledge management systems Supporting organisational development in schools  Improving the social recognition of teaching  Broadening the definition of teacher competences  Enriching teacher evaluation with innovation and knowledge management related components  Creating a doctoral degree based on practical knowledge and practice based research  Integrating innovation and knowledge management into the tasks and the training of school leaders  Supporting knowledge sharing school networks  Creating clusters based on partnership between universities, schools and school maintainers  Integrating knowledge management into teacher education and teacher continuous development  Developing national best practice sharing platforms  Developing knowledge about knowledge  Measuring and evaluating innovation activities  Supporting the transformation of schools into learning organisations  Supporting school level knowledge sharing technological platforms  Supporting reference schools sharing good practices in organisational development  Creating researcher and mentoring schools  Organisational development in educational administration and pedagogical support services  Creating a national centre for the coordination of leadership and organisational development  Focussing on master and researcher teachers  Exploiting partnership resources.  Supporting the practical use of educational research and evidence based practice  Using technology as a major resource of the education sector innovation system  Exploiting the benefits of international cooperation.  Combining macro (system) and micro (school) level measures

Major challenges Managing the centralised system Roma integration and reducing early school leaving Improving the status and professional motivation of teachers School network rationalisation and structural changes Harmonising regulative frameworks and development interventions