Hungarian minority education based on a review of the national curricula from 1777 to 1907

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study is a systemic examination of three Hungarian national curricula and their effects on minority students’ education over 130 years beginning in 1777, when a uniform, state-regulated school system was created, accompanied by carefully drafted educational policies to which educational institutes had to adhere. The documents presented in this study are available in the Hungarian National Pedagogical Library and Museum. This study primarily focuses on the legislation defining minority language use in schools. Specifically, we analysed the extent to which educational policies and corresponding curricula either respected minority rights regarding native language use or forced students to acquire Hungarian language competencies and integrate them into the mainstream. Educational policies can only be understood through contemporary social and historical contexts. Thus, we highlight how social and historical circumstances, including an ever-changing political landscape and shifting political ideologies, have significantly affected the educational experiences of minorities residing in Hungary. Although our journey will be centuries past, this analysis is relevant to today’s demographically changing societies, which have increasingly become multicultural and multilingual. Highlighting the effect of educational policies on minority children’s instruction and, consequently, their first-language development can shape our discourse on current policies.