Human Resources Minister Miklós Kásler has announced that the Hungarian government spent 4.9 percent of GDP on education this year - a figure above the European Union average.
According to MTI, the minister revealed that the spend was HUF 645 billion (EUR 1.92m) more than in 2010.
Kásler told parliament’s cultural committee as part of his annual hearing that HUF 323 billion was available for infrastructural development in education. Projects are under way in 800 institutions, with HUF 174 billion of state resources being spent on building gyms and swimming pools, and on revamping and expanding schools. A further HUF 149 billion of EU funds are being spent mainly on modernizing buildings.
The minister said the new draft national curriculum is in an advanced state and the government could put it on its agenda any time soon. The draft was put up for professional and social debate last autumn and has attracted over 1,000 comments since then, he added.
Kásler stressed that one of the major targets is to improve students’ language skills. Starting from next year, the government will enable students in their 9th and 11th grade to spend two weeks abroad each to study their language of choice. The government has allocated HUF 34-35 billion for the purpose, he added.
Finally, as a result of an allocation of HUF 11 billion, the government will enable students to get free textbooks from next year, further reducing families’ spending.
Photo credit: vehir.hu