Ahead of the new school year starting on September 1, Finance Minister Mihály Varga said that government funding for public education and family support has tripled since 2010.
Addressing the inauguration of a new school building in Budapest, Minister Varga said that over the last ten years, government spending on public education had increased by HUF 735 billion (EUR 2.1bn). Zoltán Maruzsa, the state secretary in charge of public education, said the government has recently spent HUF 350 billion in state and European Union funds to upgrade schools in 900 locations around the country.
Gabriella Hajnal, who heads KLIK, the public school operating body, said caring for special needs students would always be a priority. These students are best served in integrated classrooms where they feel most accepted, she said. Hajnal added that she hoped that the principles of the Gyermekek Háza (House of Children) school in the 2nd district, which provides integrated education for special-needs children, would also be embraced by other schools in the country.