Responsible Parenting - Happy Childhood, World Parents' Day
Parents gave schools a good report card, with more than 60 percent of the 130,000 respondents to a parent questionnaire giving their child's school a "4" or "5" (B or A grading), meaning they are satisfied with the teaching and learning work done there. The results were presented by the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior in Budapest on Thursday.
Dr. Bence Rétvári, speaking at a conference organised by the Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS) on the occasion of World Parents' Day entitled Responsible Parenting - Happy Childhood, said that the responses also show that there is harmony between home and school in the education of children in Hungary. According to the State Secretary, it is important for parents that the physical safety of their children in schools be ensured, and that there be no contradiction in the values brought from home and that found in schools. This was why the results of the referendum on child protection held a year ago were so important. Concerning the new law on teaching careers, which is currently in the public consultation process, he said that a significant change is the end of compulsory certification, self-evaluation and individual teacher supervision. By reducing these administrative burdens, teachers will have more time to spend with children, he added. He said that the introduction of performance related pay will also serve this purpose; those who spend more time educating children outside the classroom will receive more pay.
Dr. Ágnes Hornung, State Secretary for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, said the government is working to make life easier and better for Hungarian families every day. She pointed out that since the family-friendly changes began in 2010, more than 30 measures for families have been adopted, most of which are financial, but there are also measures to help balance work and family life and support for having the number of children a couple desires. She said that the focus had shifted from benefit-based to work-based support, with much of the support returning to families through the tax system. Ágnes Hornung stressed that these results should be maintained in the future and that the government has also done a lot to improve the balance sought between work and family. She cited the 90 percent increase in the number of places in nurseries and the further development of the network of public health visitors. The protection of families is important, because without families, the continuing existence of the nation is unimaginable, said the State Secretary.
Tünde Fűrész, president of the institute, speaking about the representative KINCS research, said that it shows that the role of the family, especially the role of the mother and father, is the most important in raising children. She reported on the publication of a book entitled "Family and Profession" and the establishment of the Grandparents for the Future Association, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of passing on family values, of living in a large family and of the close relationship between generations.
According to a survey of 1,000 people conducted in April this year on the responsibility of parents and teachers in raising children, the vast majority of Hungarian adults believe that family relationships are the most important factor in raising children, with parents, especially mothers (94%) and fathers (84%), playing the biggest role. Two thirds of respondents (64 percent) also believe that grandmothers play a prominent role in raising children, while 55 percent believe that grandfathers also have a significant influence on the upbringing of grandchildren. Among educators who provide education outside the home, the most strongly recognised role in educating children was played by kindergarten teachers (68 percent) and lower elementary grade school teachers (69 percent), while 58 percent of respondents thought that secondary school teachers and 57 percent of upper elementary grade school teachers played an important role in educating children, according to the survey.
The overwhelming majority of respondents (85 percent) also think that mothers have the most important role in children's education and teaching, with slightly fewer (74 percent) thinking that fathers have a more important role. 75 percent of respondents think that lower elementary grade school teachers have a major role in children's education, 68 per cent think that secondary school teachers have a major role, and 69 percent think that upper elementary school teachers and kindergarten teachers have a major role. 54 percent of Hungarians think that professionals who provide extra-curricular activities have an impact on children's learning.
Source: MTI
