Tamás Palya (52) did not think they would fire him. Yet it happened after the chemistry teacher resigned last month in protest at the poor conditions in the Hungarian education system. And because the government makes it impossible for teachers to strike. ‘I had been teaching for thirty years. I felt so bad after my discharge. But this turns me on.’ Palya, full beard and blue cap, points to the thousands of students, teachers and parents demonstrating this morning in Budapest.
His resignation was intended to intimidate other teachers, Palya believes. But it actually seems to have the opposite effect. Students from all over the city form a human chain of several kilometers this Wednesday morning. The demonstration, in combination with a strike, had been planned for some time. But the firing of Palya and four colleagues at the Kölcsey gymnasium in Budapest last Friday added fuel to the fire. There will be demonstrations in the Hungarian capital as well as in smaller towns throughout Wednesday.
Civil disobedience
There was already a lot of dissatisfaction in Hungarian education. About the low wages – a starting teacher earns around 500 euros a month –, about the enormous workload and about the Hungarian government’s habit of centralizing everything and meddling with the curriculum. But there is more to it, say rebellious teachers, under Orbán education has been eroded and stripped.
In addition, their right to strike has been severely curtailed this year: teachers are allowed to strike, but must still teach a large part of their lessons, and they must not lose sight of students. That can no longer be called strikes, say teachers. Those who still resign, ‘civil disobedience’ as they call it, are in violation. And can be fired, like Palya.
Tears for resignation
‘I didn’t believe it at first,’ says 17-year-old Hanna Hegedüs, who is standing up for her teachers with her classmates today. She was in class when Palya was called to the principal. “Maybe I’ll lose my job,” he said jokingly. When he came back, it just turned out to be true. Some of us cried, me too. We love our teacher.’ Incidentally, it is not the school principal who is responsible for the dismissal, but the school district, which falls under the Ministry of the Interior. There, Minister Sándor Pintér, a former police commissioner, hands out the sheets. He owes his authoritarian reflexes to his previous profession, the protesters say.
It is striking how many students stand up for their teachers. ‘It’s the least we can do for our teachers,’ says Alex Cumin (18), who is in the same year as Hegedüs. Cars and buses honk in solidarity at the school classes that line the busy thoroughfare in the center. “They get paid so little,” says Cumin, “while putting their heart and soul into their work. Many of our teachers have second or even third jobs.’
Low salary, high workload
Therein lies another reason for the rapidly increasing discontent. Due to the economic crisis in Hungary – high inflation, devaluing currency, rising energy prices – the teachers’ lips are watering. With salaries between 200,000 and 400,000 forints (470 to 940 euros) per month, many teachers are in fact supported by their partner or forced to take multiple jobs. According to a recent report from the European Commission, Hungarian teachers are not only among the least paid in the EU, they also have the highest workload.
And there are fewer and fewer colleagues to share that workload with. Hungary is struggling with a major teacher shortage. The poor working conditions in education drive young teachers away. According to the trade unions, Hungary is now 17 thousand teachers short, about 15 percent of the required number. The profession is also struggling with an aging population: another 22 thousand will retire in the next five years.
That is why many teachers on World Teachers’ Day, despite the risk of dismissal, still lay down their work. Such as Mariann Schiller (61), Hungarian language and literature teacher. “You can fire a few teachers, but it’s hard to fire a few thousand teachers,” she says. ‘We have to speak up, even if we’re not sure whether it’s going to do anything.’ As angry as the protesters are at the government, they are skeptical about change.
Banners and bells
The Hungarian government is usually adept at playing disgruntled citizens against each other. Dissatisfaction within certain groups rarely spreads to widespread social unrest. Schiller: ‘One week the teachers, the next week another group.’ Yet the genie in Budapest seems out of the bottle for a moment. In the afternoon, thousands of students block a bridge in the center and stand in front of the Hungarian parliament with banners and bells. It is the largest protest in the Hungarian capital in a long time.
According to Schiller, it is a positive sign that in addition to teachers and students, parents are now also taking to the streets. Mothers and fathers fill the roads of Budapest with protest signs. One of them is Dorina Iszak (’40 plus’). It’s a shame that teachers in this country earn less than a cleaner. But it’s fine for our government: they like to keep people stupid.’
