The Hungarian higher education system cannot exist nor can Hungary have a future without the civic virtues also characteristic of the 19th-20th century technical intellectuals, Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog declared in his speech at the ceremony to mark the beginning of the new academic year at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME).on Monday.

The Minister emphasised that the reform of the overly complex higher education system could not wait. The reform serves the interests of universities, students and quality higher education, he said, adding that universities have been „shepherded” toward the quality aspect of education instead of quantitative aspects.

According to Mr. Balog, the key to the future lies at the intersection of tradition and modernity. 232 years of experience in technical education has been accumulated in the halls of the BME, all which will also be shared with first-year engineering students, the Minister said.

The minister pointed out that the BME „has given the world geniuses”, yet the country cannot live off only its traditions, because what once raised the nation to new heights must be constantly maintained.

Zoltán Balog pointed out that the number of students admitted to technical and scientific courses has doubled since 2012. He stressed that national scientific and technical education must be strengthened institutionally for the development of high value-added industries.

Since 40 percent of admitted students fail to obtain a degree in the allotted time for training, much work must be done to effectively reduce the number of drop-outs, he added.

He also mentioned the need to establish a higher education system that focuses primarily on good performance. Therefore the process according to which institutions that manage their funds well are penalized compared to those which failed to effectively manage the resources entrusted to them must be stopped.

(Ministry of Human Resources)