Does the new school year start online in Hungary?

It has long been known that we have only experienced the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic that unfolded in the spring, and that the next wave, more serious than the last, was predicted by epidemiologists for the autumn.

However, the emergency measures, which were partially lifted after the virus had receded, seem to be leading to a resurgence of the epidemic, with the number of infected people rising again in several European countries.

If the epidemiological situation in Hungary remains fortunate, certain precautionary measures have been reintroduced: those returning from countries identified as at risk must remain under house quarantine for 2 weeks, and in mid-July the government officially announced that mass events planned for 20 August would be cancelled, as would events for more than 500 people.

The growing caution also raises the issue of the school year, which starts in less than a month and a half, especially as schools will start preparing for it in August, so institutions need to know what to prepare for by then. However, the question of classroom or online education is not yet settled: all that is known is that, depending on the current epidemic situation, the local authority will be able to decide locally which form of education to use.

What does this mean for teachers and families? Most importantly, they can expect online learning, which was introduced in March, to continue. It would be good if they could find time during the holidays to improve the methods tried out in the spring, to test and get to know the collaborative platforms better, to find out more about programmes and educational resources, taking into account the feedback received at the end of the school year. They will find support in our teacher training programmes. Even if classrooms remain empty in some places, we can fill education with content!