Twenty years in Paradise: Foreign-language education projects in
Hungary
It’s a long way to Paradise: 300 years of foreign-language education
1.
Before 1777: Latin → Ratio Educationis (1777): German at every, Hungarian at primary,
Latin at secondary level → before Revolution of 1848: compulsory Hungarian → after
Revolution: all school subjects in German → Compromise of 1867: compulsory Hungarian →
after Trianon (1920): German retained its prestige → Klebelsberg Kunó: Sárospatak
From 1949: compulsory Russian for 8+2 years, other foreign languages banned → first
private language schools opened (early 1980s) → compulsory Russian introduced for Grade 4
(1977) → compulsory Russian discontinued (1989)
Terestyéni’s two surveys: 1979-1982 = 9.2% ↔ 1994 = 11.2% speak at least one foreign
language
2.
Elitist by merit: Dual-language schools
Aim: to educate elite who can speak foreign languages at near-native level
Method: Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
Based on foreign and Hungarian models
First classes in ten schools (1987)
Structure:


0 year: 20 hours of target language + „ofő”, PE, maths, science
4 years: maths, physics, biology, geography and history in target language + rest in
Hungarian
Entrance exam: Hungarian language, maths, general cognitive skills
Plenty of support from home and abroad
Initial problems, long-term pitfalls: textbooks, native subject teachers,
Hungarian subject teachers, different stock of students, different educational attitude
After 1989: plenty of new schools, including primary schools, but quality suffers
At present:


3.
90 primary schools = 2-3% → 78% English
134 secondary = 10-11% → 52% English
Sweet Emma, dear Böbe: The Russian re-training programme
Abolition of compulsory Russian (1989) → 15,000 Russian teachers threatened
→ shortfall
of 10,000 teachers of English and German → unqualified foreign-language teachers employed
Retraining programme launched (1990) with the aim of expanding teacher supply and of
saving Russian teachers from unemployment
Major elements of the project: designed to run for 6 years (1990-95) + length of instruction: 3
years + size: 1,000 Russian teachers/year + free of charge + retrainees awarded with a
university degree (only in year 1)
Eligibility criteria: second major is NOT another foreign language + medium-level state
exam certificate + prepared to continue to teach as full-time teacher
Additional support: those with no foreign-language certificate paid to enroll into private
language schools for 2 years, free of charge
Change of policy (1991-): certificate downgraded to college diploma → diploma holders
need extra 2 years to reach university degree + irrelevant courses in literature and linguistics +
fees charged for extra 2 years
Annual size: merely 600-700 retrainees → non-Russian/unqualified teachers admitted as well
→ universities protest → compromise: unqualified teachers excluded → 800-1,000
retrainees/year
Overall figures: 4,900 diplomas issued by the end of the project (1997/98) + 3,000 Russian
teachers got retrained + 75-80% in English and German
Mixed results: quantity often at the expense of quality
4.
Learning democracy: The fast-track programme
Fast-track programmes launched (1991/92)
Different from traditional degree programmes: shorter in duration + single-subject + practical
methodology and teaching practice granted a much larger scope than customary + fast-track
graduates were superior in terms of practical teaching skills + arguably comparable in terms
of L competence
Establishing Centre for English Teacher Training (CETT) in 1990/91: first intake of staff
and students = 10 +100 → full capacity = 30 + 300
CETT Curriculum
Teaching experience: for one academic year + in pairs + triangular support + mentor training
Characteristics: free hand in dealing with professional issues + democratic leadership style +
team spirit + stable staff + multicultural/lingual mix + massive support
Impact on students and traditional departments
5.
NAT in a nutshell: Foreign languages in The National Core
Curriculum
Public Education Act (1993) → NAT: 1st version (1995) → latest version (2007)
Recommended allocation of cultural domains in the NAT (in percentages):
Aim of foreign-language education: educated, mobile, plurilingual citizens + four basic skills
+ grammar and vocabulary + intercultural understanding + lifelong learning
Foreign-language instruction from Grade 4 until school-leaving exam
Number of languages: 1 language in primary schools → 2 languages in all secondary
grammar schools/in certain vocational schools
Free choice of languages, but mandatory to provide English upon request
Four types of languages: frequently learnt = English/German + less frequently learnt +
minority + dead languages
Proficiency requirements
Centrally designed frame curriculum may be adopted for local use
6.
Archi in ten minutes: World – Language
Overarching aim: boosting foreign-language education
General aims/principles: main focus on school education + outside classroom/school + equal
opportunities + early learning + CLIL + life-long learning + ICT and foreign languages +
multi/pluri-lingualism + teachers’ and learners’ creative/innovative potential
Legislative elements: year of intensive foreign-language instruction + compulsory L1 and
optional L2 at school-leaving exam + increased contact time in grammar schools + tax
incentive + programme package
Programme package: Forrás + Váltogató + Előre fuss + Mesterfokon + Élesztő + Mértékelés
+ Egy életen át + Nyelv plusz számítógép + Alap-osan + Jó gyakorlat + Külföldi tanárjelöltek
a szakképzésben + Satöbbi
Implementation: open application system + 912 MFt in total + twice as many applicants as
winners
Campaign: „Speaking foreign languages is cool” + „Year of foreign-language study (200304) competition (see attached task) + „Team Talk – Chatangoljunk”
7.
NYEK: The year of intensive language instruction
Public Education Act (2003): Grade 9 students in grammar/vocabulary schools + 1 NYEK
group/school (2004) → one additional group each year thereafter + min 40% of contact hours
(11 lessons/week) + Grades 10-13: enough lessons to prepare students for advanced-level
school-leaving exam in L1 and preferably in L2 + one year longer at school + optional: how
many and which languages
Rationale/aims: qualitative leap forward + 2 foreign languages = European ideal + preparing
for life-long learning + positive attitudes and motivation towards target languages and their
cultures + opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
Survey results (2009): 430-440 schools/8-900 groups/17,000-18,000 students + only 13%
take school-leaving exam in L2 + only 19% take advanced level exam + most students quit
after exam + English 2/3 ↔ German 1/3 ↔ other 9 languages in insignificant numbers
New regulation (2010/11): must open NYEK groups on parents’ demand