Majority of Hungarian teachers reject re-opening of schools

While the government is set to open the doors to elementary schools next week, from 19 April, the vast majority of teachers opposes the move. Their position coincides with that of virologists, who oppose the opening saying that the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has not passed, the health system is overloaded, and even official statistics still show a high number of new cases.

The survey also asked teachers what they were planning to do if schools indeed reopen as planned. More than half (54%) would go to work and teach classes as usual. The second biggest group, 21%, would only agree to digital education, while 18% project refusing to teach in class to some degree and for some time (e.g. taking a holiday or a sick leave or refusing to work),the survey of more than 9,500 teachers found.

The remaining 6.6% chose other options, such as teaching in a hybrid form or staying at home on a digital schedule until the pandemic recedes and students and their families acquire some degree of immunity.

It appears that older and more vulnerable teachers are less willing to go back to in-class education for even a single day. Less than half of teachers above 60 said they would go back to their school it it reopened, while 60% of those between 18 and 29 are willing to.

The potential refusal to work from 19 April is not age-related, as 17% of those above 60 are also considering it as a valid alternative.

Teachers in Hungary are even less sure their students would be safe from the pandemic: 81% said they would ‘not at all’ or ‘rather not’ consider it safe for children to attend classes in person.

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