The start of the school year in a disaster zone: never before has there been such a shortage of teachers
The school year starts in September with an unprecedented shortage of teachers: there are more than 10,000 unfilled posts in schools, and the shortage is being filled largely by re-employed retirees. The teachers' union says the crisis is putting the education and progress of students at immediate risk. It is not just a shortage of teachers: outdated curricula, overworked teachers and a lack of support staff are also making the situation worse. The system is overburdened and supply is uncertain, according to the Economx.
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The school year, which starts in September, will begin with a teacher shortage more severe than ever before, with the Teachers' Union (PSZ) estimating that more than 10,000 posts are vacant, with many institutions trying to make ends meet with retired teachers, Economx reports.
Hundreds of job adverts on the public service job portal are looking for maths teachers, language teachers and science teachers, but there are also huge shortages of speech therapists, special needs teachers and school psychologists. According to the PSZ, the situation is not only a threat to students' learning, but also to the viability of public education as a whole.
The problems are backed up by a recent survey by Policy Solutions, which found that the biggest problem is the lack of good teachers (31%), while education is also plagued by an ageing teaching staff and a continuing shortage of teachers (29%). Many respondents also cited outdated curricula that do not prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century, as well as teacher overload and a lack of support professionals. Centralised management, disparities between schools, the poor state of institutions and low teacher pay are also among the most serious problems.
The supply of new teachers is not reassuring either: according to felvi.hu, nearly 15,000 students have been admitted to teacher training this year, but more than half of those applying are over 27, and the proportion of recent graduates is only 18%. The PSZ president said that only a fraction of those who enter the profession stay in teaching for the long term, while thousands of teachers will retire on average every year for the next few years.
The union warns that the future of public education in Hungary will be at risk unless swift and comprehensive changes are made.
Adult education has been built - Hungary is far from the EU average
image: freepik