Hungary's education minister has said that the new act on higher education is not aimed at the Central European University (CEU), and there is very little chance of the institution leaving Hungary and no reason for it to do so.
“The proposed amendment to the act on higher education does not make it impossible for institutions to operate in Hungary, is not discriminative and is not aimed against the Central European University (CEU), which operates in Budapest," László Palkovics, minister of state for Education, said.
The minister said that among the reasons for the proposed amendment, the government would like to avoid the appearance of “scam universities” in Hungary, stressing that the CEU is certainly not such an institution, and stating with relation to reactions from public figures and the media that the institution’s representational capabilities are “perhaps stronger” than those of its rivals.
Minister Palkovics noted that the Hungarian government would explain to its ambassadors who will be taking action with relation to the move that the goal is for “real universities” to operate in Hungary, stressing the standpoint that what makes a university a university is that it also offers courses in the country in which it issues diplomas.