HIS-Press-Service, 1982 (7. évfolyam, 22-24. szám)

1982-06-01 / 24. szám

Press-Service--------Special Topic: Religion and Church in Hungary _____________ No, 24 - Vienna, June 1982

Educational Reform Affects the Legal Basis of Religious Instruction

Hungary's schools will soon undergo an important educational reform. In the coming school year (1982/83), the five-day school week - which was already tried in 270 of the country's schools in the past year (1981/82) - will be introduced in all of Hungary's primary and secondary schools. This change was instituted by the government to harmonize the weekend free time of the children with that of their parents, most of whom have already had five-day work weeks for some time.

This educational reform also affects the religious instruction held both in the schools and in the churches. The legal regulations on religious instruction continue to remain in force. The new education plan, however, brings with it new restrictions which in many cases actually make it impossible to offer the legally guaranteed hours of religious instruction.

Post-War Limitations upon Evangelization of the Youth

Until the end of the Second World War, the confessionally-run schools were in the relative majority in Hungary's school system. About 40% of all primary and secondary schools (or more than 3,000) were run by the Catholic Church. Religious instruction, however, was an integral part of the teaching plans not only of these schools, but of all schools in Hungary's school system.

After the war, more and more restrictions were placed upon the possibilities for evangelization among the youth. It began with the declaration by Parliament that school education is the duty of the State. Legal Regulation Nr. XXI11/1948 nationalized all confessionally-run schools. On the basis of the separation of Church and State, Legal Regulation Nr. 5/1949 excluded religious instruction from the list of required subjects and made it instead an elective which the children can attend or not, depending upon the wishes of their parents. Implementary Regulation Nr. 1101-11-1/1950 contained a series of discriminating regulations which made religious instruction in the schools more difficult: Religious instruction could only be given in the school itself, and only directly after normal school hours. The religion teacher was no longer part of the school staff and