EDUCATIONAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL TRANSITION IN HUNGARY

Abstract

Scope and Objectives This chapter addresses recent reforms in the regulation system that governed curriculum in Hungary during the 1990's. The presented case is placed within the broader context of educational change in order to better understand why and how reforms occur in education systems. The case is also necessarily linked to the larger social framework of transitions from non-democratic regimes to democracy and a free-market economy. This chapter analyzes the impact of the transition context on educational reform in Hungary, revealing those characteristics that distinguish the this case from others. More specifically, the analysis concentrates on those elements which are relevant to the theory of educational change as presented in Fullan's model (1991). It is argued that the change process as experienced in Hungary does not necessarily follow linear patterns, as is the case in North America, and that coherent outcomes may also emerge from rather chaotic processes. The case presented here has a number of unique features. First, it relates to a major system change with implications for all elements of education in Hungary. This change is different from that related to one specific development project or which targets change in one organisation or predetermined set of schools. However, its scope is limited to change in one concrete component of the education system, that of curriculum regulation. Second, the change being analysed is not yet fully completed - if completion of change is a meaningful notion; that is, not all of its outcomes can be fully evaluated. Nevertheless, it has had a sufficiently long history from which substantive analysis can be drawn. Third, the reform presented here was initiated during a period of overall social-political transformation. The specifics of the context of the change have to be stressed, particularly since it had a major impact on the initiation and implementation of change, and certainly will effect the chances of its sustainability. Hungary, a country of the former Soviet Bloc, experienced a dramatic process of transition from communism to democracy and market economy. This process has been different in many respects from that experienced by other countries in the region. Free-market mechanisms and genuine civil initiatives appeared many years before the political transformation which, proceeded more smoothly in Hungary than in other Soviet Block countries. Most of the institutional conditions for a market economy (e.g. company law, market friendly tax system, bank reform etc.), as well as the basic democratic institutions (the parliamentary framework, the laws on associations and free expression etc.) were created before the fall of communism and proved to be rather stable (they survived three democratic elections and change of governments during the nineties). Transition within the education sector also show particular characteristics in this country. A reform of decentralising educational administration was started years before the real political changes, sometimes going much further that one could have expected in the framework of a communist state. The balance between restoration and modernisation goals has also been a particular feature of educational transformation in Hungary. According to Rado (1999), an important aspect of the educational transition process in the former Soviet satellite countries, and indeed the motive for change, was the intention to catch up with Western Europe. However, even if Europeanisation was explicitly stated as a major goal (Kreitzberg, 1998), this sometimes meant more a desire to restore traditional European values than a genuine wish to modernise the system. A particular feature of transition in Hungary has been a relatively strong commitment to modernisation. When, for instance, the conservatives came to power at the late 90s, they retained most of the elements of modernisation policies in education initiated by the liberals.