Ministry of Interior reduces qualification requirements for elementary school and kindergarten teachers

The implementing regulation for the new law on teachers' careers, popularly known as the Status Law, came into force on 2 January and has brought a number of changes to the employment of primary school and kindergarten teachers. The first and perhaps the most significant of these is for primary school teachers, as the new regulation allows teachers who originally specialised in lower primary school children (grade 1-4) to teach until the 8th grade, according to an article in Népszava.

According to a reply from the Ministry of the Interior, the decree extends the possibility that was previously allowed, i.e. teachers who specialised in grades 1-4 were already allowed to teach in grades 5 and 6. However, the change also abolished the previous requirement that only teachers with "a degree in a field of education appropriate to the subject" were allowed to teach each subject in higher grades.

This means that, in effect, teachers specialised in children aged between 6-10 are allowed to teach any subject to the upper grades of primary schools, to children up to age 14.

Changes are also coming to the employment of kindergarten teachers: the previous regulation required a university-level degree in kindergarten teaching, but now it will also allow those with an intermediate qualification in kindergarten education to take up the post. The aim is to fill the shortage of kindergarten teachers through short two-year courses at various technical and vocational schools.

The Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ) and the leaders of the Teachers' Union (PSZ) are concerned about the changes. They say it is the shortage of teachers that has led to the changes in employment rules. They point out that lower primary school teacher training [training to teach children in lower grades 1-4] does not prepare teachers to teach upper primary pupils, especially in specialised subjects. In their view, the employment of pre-school teachers without a degree has set the clock back to the 1960s and 70s. Advocacy groups argue that the teacher shortage should instead be addressed through more attractive legislation, career security, guaranteed pay rises, less workload and professional autonomy.

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