Hungary’s Minister for Education and Children’s Affairs Judit Lannert gave her first major interview since taking office to outline a broad reform agenda for the country’s education system, including a review of the secondary school admissions process, changes to the high school graduation exam, a reduction in student workload, and a shift towards skills-based learning better suited to the demands of the 21st century.
Speaking to the student-run media outlet Balzac, Lannert also addressed artificial intelligence, school segregation, and the future of Hungary’s higher education system.
Lannert argued that one of the most serious problems facing Hungarian education is student overload. She noted that Hungarian pupils spend exceptionally large amounts of time studying compared to their European peers, including homework and private tutoring, while educational outcomes remain relatively modest. According to the minister, the current system focuses ‘too heavily on transmitting factual knowledge’ and too little on developing genuine understanding and learning skills.
The minister said schools must adapt to a world increasingly shaped by digitalization and artificial intelligence. In her view, future reforms should place greater emphasis on critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving.
‘Lannert argued that one of the most serious problems facing Hungarian education is student overload’
She also suggested that project-based learning, more flexible forms of classroom organization, and greater professional autonomy for teachers should become more prominent in Hungarian schools.
Artificial intelligence featured prominently in the discussion. While describing AI as a major opportunity, Lannert also warned that excessive reliance on the technology could undermine the learning process itself.
‘I think it can happen that a teacher creates a test using AI, gives it to the student, and the student asks AI to solve it. The entire process between teacher and student disappears, and so does the process of thinking,’ she said.
The minister also expressed concern about the impact of excessive screen time on younger children, arguing that social interaction, physical activity, and emotional development remain essential elements of education. Rather than introducing AI as a separate subject, she suggested integrating it across the curriculum while also preparing teachers and parents to use the technology responsibly.
On assessment reform, Lannert argued that Hungary’s high school graduation exam should place less emphasis on memorizing facts and more on problem-solving, analysis, and critical thinking, while retaining the exam itself as a valued national tradition.
She said the current system exerts excessive influence over the entire educational process and should be redesigned to better reflect 21st-century competencies.
Regarding Hungary’s foundation-run universities, Lannert said the government would first address governance and conflict-of-interest concerns linked to EU funding before developing a more transparent higher education framework. While critical of aspects of the current model, she stressed that ‘the foundation form is not inherently problematic,’ arguing that different universities may require different governance structures, provided they operate transparently and use public funds effectively.
Perhaps her most controversial remarks concerned six- and eight-year grammar schools, which she described as a mechanism for social selection rather than educational development.
‘The whole thing really only serves one purpose: for the elite to separate itself,’ Lannert said, arguing that research shows the stronger performance of students at such schools is primarily explained by their family background rather than the added value of the institutions themselves.
She also questioned whether it remains justified to maintain a highly selective admissions system at a time when Hungary’s school-age population is steadily declining. According to the minister, the government will place the issue on its agenda and examine possible reforms to the admissions process.
The comments prompted a sharp reaction from Fidesz parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyás, who accused the Tisza government of preparing a sweeping transformation of Hungary’s education system without adequate consultation.
‘The Tisza Party is planning a total restructuring of the school system,’ Gulyás wrote on social media. He argued that Lannert’s comments had thrown ‘tens of thousands of students and families into uncertainty’ and claimed that forcing a uniform four-year secondary school model on Hungarian society would represent the ‘most radical overhaul of the education system since the communist era.’
Gulyás further accused the government of pursuing major political and social changes ‘aggressively, without arguments and without tolerating counterarguments,’ while failing to conduct the consultations it had previously demanded from earlier governments.
Lannert, however, repeatedly emphasized in the interview that any reforms should emerge from broad social dialogue, including consultation with students themselves. Rather than restricting school choice, she said her goal was to ensure that all schools provide high-quality education, reducing the pressure on families to make life-defining decisions when children are only ten or 12 years old.
The new ministry has already announced plans to incorporate students’ opinions into education policy decisions through the creation of the Children and Youth Participation Group, whose mission is to ‘ensure that young people can meaningfully participate in shaping issues that affect them.’
The choice of interview venue also symbolizes that dialogue-driven approach. Rather than giving her first major ministerial interview to a national television channel or an established media outlet, Lannert spoke to two student journalists from Balzac.
The decision fits into a broader pattern that has emerged since Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office, with the new government frequently employing symbolic gestures to reinforce its message of political renewal and direct engagement with groups it argues were previously overlooked.
Watch the full interview below:
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