Viktor Orbán Prime Minister in December provoked a series of student protests by announcing the transformation of Hungarian higher education (see The CEU Weekly’s blog for details: http://ceuweekly.blogspot.hu/2012/12/hungarian-students-want-to-save.html). This transformation included governmental prescriptions to each university regarding the number of acceptable students, and the abolishment of state-founded places in 16 popular programs, such as legal studies, economics, communication and media studies, and international relations. This “reform” was decided exclusively by the government, without consulting representational bodies of universities, professors or student unions. The following mass demonstrations of university and high school students proved that this young generation resisted the government’s antidemocratic attitude. On the 10th of December the official representational body of university students (HÖOK) declared to support the claims of the non-official, spontaneously founded Student Network (HaHa), which were composed in 6 points, demanding among others the involvement of students’ and professors’ organizations into governmental decisions regarding higher education. The government was apparently surprised that students were able to organize such a mass movement, consequently invited at least HÖOK to negotiate a compromise.
Zoltán Balog Human Resources Minister offered a new reform plan according to which there would be state-founded places for each university programs (including the 16 controversial areas), the government would establish a higher education roundtable involving all the concerned representational bodies of students, professors and universities. However, the required criteria for acceptance would not be defined by the universities, but by the government. So the basic contradiction of the system was kept: the government withdraws more and more from the founding of higher education, and at the same time violates universities’ autonomy more and more.
On the 21st of January HÖOK signed the minister’s pact, despite having declared it inacceptable just a few hours before the meeting of HÖOK president Dávid Nagy and Zoltán Balog. Dávid Nagy justified his act with the claim that an agreement was the interest of high school students who have to apply for universities in February. The non-official Student Network is disappointed and gave an ultimatum to the government that unless the 6 points of December 10 will be fulfilled by 11 February, students will return to the streets.
I personally do not have too many illusions regarding the power relations and the potential results of future protestations. Nonetheless I am proud of the students’ resistance – as one of the so many student-demonstrators.
Agnes Kelemen
Hungary
Department of Nationalism Studies
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