Hungary decides on pre-school education in kindergarten, but tweaks original plan

The ministry made the decision on the basis professional research and months of experience of professional and social consultation, which it argues will make it easier for families to start school and reduce the burden on them.

The aim is for all children to enter school with the best possible skills and confidence,

the ministry said.

It noted that the decision was based on a national survey. The government used a questionnaire to ask nursery school managers about their experience of the skills of three-year-old children. Of the respondents, 86% said that children's language skills had worsened, 81% said that social skills were weaker and 73% said that motor skills had worsened over the past five years.

Several factors could be behind the changes, but the impact of smart devices and excessive screen time is prominent.

The Ministry's response is to amend the Core Programme for Early Childhood Education and Care to strengthen the role of kindergartens in skills development. Priority will be given to strengthening basic skills - language, movement, social skills - in an age-appropriate manner.

The legislation continues to emphasise learning through play, daily exercise, oral storytelling, folk games and the preservation of Hungarian traditions. According to the ministry's statement, the aim is to create a nursery environment in which children can develop naturally and happily.

The ministry points out that the new regulation has been subject to extensive professional and public consultation and that the comments received during the public debate on the proposal have been incorporated into the final regulation. For example, the plan to introduce compulsory homogeneous groups (consisting only of pre-school children) was rejected.

The above has already been published in the latest Hungarian Gazette (Government Decree No 77/2025).

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