School Life in Hungary 2013
Translated from zsirparaszt's Tumblr post
This will be the longest Tumblr post of my life.
It is already quite weird to sit in a parent's meeting with a bunch of adults when you don't really feel like one.
There won't be an excursion. It could only happen if the school included it in its official schedule, in which case it would have to pay for it, so there's no chance. The parent can organise one, but only on a weekend.
The all-knowing door-keeper lady was fired, there is supposed to be a replacement, but he was nowhere to be found now. She used to be the "school police officer", guiding the kids around and keeping an eye out the people coming and going.
Everyday PE works like a charm, there are often three classes in one gym. Even though there are two gyms in the school. It'll just get better next year, because four 5th year classes will join this wonderful system. Possibly, classes will be held after 3PM.
The cinder courtyard, where the kids used to play in recess, was converted into a sports field with artificial grass and, of course, the kids are not allowed use it freely.
If a kid is not at school until 4PM, they have to carry a written permission by the principal, because otherwise the police can pick them up and bring them back to the school. This is not fiction, it happened to a 7th year girl.
Out of a cleaning staff of eight, only two remain, and the principal is not allowed to give them tasks or orders. The school has two buildings, three floors each, two gyms. Everything is filthy.
Nothing can be left in the classrooms, the building is open between 4 and 10PM, its spaces can be rented out to anyone. It goes without saying that there are no lockers whatsoever. Individual teachers bear full financial responsibility for their classrooms.
I swear, I'd vote for anyone but Gyurcsány to get rid of this bunch.
It's better, I had some drinks.
The FIDESZ Government initiated deep cuts into the educational system, which had a terrible effect on schools and universities. They centralised administration and book distribution, which led to chaos. They introduced religious and ethics education (the latter is for students whose parents don't want their kids to participate in the former. Though one coursebook has an openly Christian and deeply conservative, heteronormative agenda). Students are forced to stay at school until 4PM everywhere and for no good reason, schools have no idea how to fill out the extra time and it is really hard for parents to counteract this nonsense. Teachers have to work much more for roughly the same amount of money, and can't be paid for working overtime. There is now an unnecessary, oppressive police presence in schools.
There is still no sign of a general strike by education workers and the student movements are mostly dormant.
