Brussels, 08/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, the European Students Union (ESU) denounced the new Hungarian law obliging Hungarian students who are financed by the state to work in Hungary for at least double the time of their studies. The ESU considers this law as a blatant restriction of the freedom of students to move freely within the European Union. “The new Hungarian education law hugely restricts the free movement of Hungarian students. We call upon the European Commission to take action and immediately start a thorough investigation into the legality of such a law in the EU”, said Allan Päll, Chair of the European Students' Union (ESU).
The controversial new law was adopted by the Hungarian government on 23 December 2011. It compels Hungarian students who are (fully or partly) financed by the state to sign a contract, which obliges them to work inside Hungary for a period of time determined by the length of time of their studies. This obligation has to be met within twenty years of graduation. If they work less than the required years, they will have to pay back the whole costs of their studies with interest. This law comes on top of a budget restriction programme decided by the Hungarian government last year (30 billion forints in cuts or €101 million less for the education sector in 2012). This will penalise access to higher education for many students. Following several demonstrations last autumn, the Hungarian Student Association (HÖOK), a member of the ESU, organised a demonstration of lighted candles on 8 February in temperatures close to -20° to denounce this new situation. Päll declared that “the Hungarian government is just cutting down on education like a blind butcher while, on top of this, limiting the freedom of their students after their graduation. This should be brought to an end as soon as possible otherwise Hungary risks becoming an open prison”. (IL/transl.fl)