Ep. 6 – Teachers Protest in Hungary – Europe Talks Back

In the past months, teachers in Hungary have been on strike, protesting against a public educational system which, as they say, risks collapse. What teachers complain about is low pay and deteriorating working conditions: the number of working hours for Hungarian teachers is very high while their salaries are among the lowest in the EU. Staff shortage is also an escalating problem in the country. According to the national Teachers’ Trade Union (PSZ), if nothing improves 22,000 teachers will leave the public education system over the next five years. Only 7 percent of educators are under 30. On this episode of Europe Talks Back, host Alexander Damiano Ricci meets with teachers in Hungary and Viktória Serdült, journalist at HVG.hu, to discuss the situation of teachers in the country.