4.4 Inclusive programmes for young people
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Programmes specific for vulnerable young people
'Útravaló' Scholarship Programme
'Útravaló' Scholarship Programme (Útravaló Ösztöndíjprogram) started in 2005; its aim is to help to create opportunities for disadvantaged students with providing personalised support and bursaries and to prevent school drop-out and to support further learning. Its main provisions are to:
- increase young people's opportunities for continuing their studies and learning a profession, gaining a school-leaving certificate or a degree, and
- support talents among students who are interested in science.
There are currently four sub-programmes associated with these scholarships:
- 'Road to Secondary School' ('Út a középiskolába'),
- 'Road to the Secondary School Leaving Exam' ('Út az érettségihez'),
- 'Road to Degree’ ('Út a diplomához') and
- 'Road to Profession' ('Út a szakmához').
Each of them supports different target groups based on age and career choices. The programme provides mentoring and financial support. The authority responsible for operating the programme is the National Cultural Grant Management Office (Nemzeti Kulturális Támogatáskezelő). These programmes are financed from the domestic budget from the 2019/2020 school year.
Currently, the Directorate-General for Creating Social Opportunities (Társadalmi Esélyteremtési Főigazgatóság) under the Ministry of the Interior (Belügyminisztérium) is responsible for implementing the application.
The number of participants in the programmes was
- 9 920 in the 2022-2023 school year,
- 9 827 in the 2021-2022 school year,
- 10 811 in the 2019-2020 school year,
- 13 829 in the 2018-2019 school year, and
- 13 270 in the 2016-2017 school year.
The available budget in the 2023/2024 school year for all programmes was HUF 2.1 billion (about EUR 5.6 million).
Arany János Programmes
The Arany János Talent Programme [Arany János Tehetséggondozó Program (referred hereinafter to as AJTP)] started in 2000. The Ministry of Interior (Belügyminisztérium) is responsible for the calls for applications.
The aim of AJTP is to support of disadvantaged students for entering secondary education. The awarded students - during a preparatory year - receive support to gain all the missing knowledge in different fields necessary to catch up with and for continuing their studies in one of the highest standard secondary schools or boarding schools. The target group of the programme are youngsters who
- hold a student status,
- have a disadvantaged background and
- are about to start grade 9 of secondary school during the year of the application.
The aim of the the Arany János College Program (Arany János Kollégiumi Program, referred hereinafter to as: AJCP) is to improve the qualification level of vulnerable groups of students, prevent them from drop-out, to support receive higher educational qualifications, pass the final examination at secondary schools and learn a profession by providing complex support (pedagogical, social, health-related and cultural).
Residential schools, secondary schools and vocational schools involved in the programmes should recruit disadvantaged students, and organise support programmes for them. Students have individual development plans signed by them and their parents. Students are assessed regularly; the results of the assessments are included in the individual development plans. The measure systematically promotes the objectives set out in the ESL strategy (prevention and intervention measures).
Altogether about 4 000 students took part in the three programmes per year since 2016 which is reported in the follow up reports on National Social Inclusion Strategy; the latest is from 2020. In the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 2 600 high school students participated in this programme.
National Talent Programme
The National Talent Programme (Nemzeti Tehetség Program) is not specifically aimed at the integration of youth or vulnerable groups of young people, still it reaches disadvantaged students successfully. Its goal is to provide talent support in Hungary and in regions abroad with Hungarian minority population. The former Ministry of Human Capacities has assigned the responsibility for the implementation of the application and grant management process to the National Cultural Grant Management Office (Nemzeti Kulturális Támogatáskezelő) which is supervised and monitored by the National Talent Coordination Forum.
In the new government, formed in 2022, the Department of Talents, under the Deputy State Secretariat for Young People is responsible for the implementation of this programme.
The action programme 2023-2024 for the implementation of the National Talent Programme is regulated by a Government Decree.
Preventing Roma girls from early school leaving
There were several programmes in the previous years aiming at the prevention of Roma girls' early school leaving. One of them was the 'Bari shej – Nagylány – Fáta máré' ('Big Girl') programme which was announced on 30 March 2017 and ran until the end of December 2019. The target group was Roma girls between the age of 10 and 18. The project are still running and from the years 2017/2018 at least 1 800 disadvantaged girls participated in these two programmes.
The Action Plan 2021-2024 for the Implementation of the NSIS 2030 states that it is especially important
- to reduce the number of Roma girls who live in poor families and leave school without qualifications,
- to establish their employability,
- to support their further education opportunities, and
- to continue and expand the programmes that serve these purposes.
The planned EFOP programmes for the 2021-2027 budget cycle include an application for 'Preventing Roma girls from leaving school without a qualification'.
The Tanoda Programme
The Tanoda Programme (Tanoda program) aims to prevent early school leaving providing community space for children and youngsters in need (up to 18 years old). According to the information provided by the ministry, the Programme reached about 8 500 students with 285 Tanodas in 2018 and 185 schools were contracted to provide support to 5 137 young people in 2020 with the Directorate-General for Creating Social Opportunities (Társadalmi Esélyteremtési Főigazgatóság). In 2021, there were 191 Tanodas, supporting more than 5 400 disadvantaged students. 88% of the participants are primary school students.
The Tanodas provide complex services to students (e.g. learning support, catching-up, personal development). There are students who need parental assistance to do their homework, but their parents are not able to help them (e.g. due to the low levels of education of their parents or not providing technical means). These students receive professional assistance in Tanodas.
Starting from the year 2019, the Tanoda Programme got integrated into the central budget of Hungary with the change of The Child Protection Act, which is in force since the 1th January of 2019. For the year 2019, 196 Tanoda won support for their operation. For more details about Tanodas, please see sub-chapter 6.3 Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET).
Funding
'Útravaló' Scholarship Programme
These programmes are funded from the state budget and the scholarship and mentoring fees increased compared to previous years. In the recent years, the amount of the support was higher than in the previous years and it was solidly the same amount:
- between 2019-2024, HUF 2.6 billion (around EUR 6.5 million) in each year,
- in 2018/2019 it was HUF 580 million (around EUR 1.5 million),
- in 2017/2018 it was HUF 459 million (around EUR 1.2 million).
Arany János Programmes
The Government Decree 204/2020. determines the funds available and the regulations for the use of the funds for the Arany János Talent Programme. The responsible Minister evaluates the previous year's programme with the involvement of other ministers (minister responsible for vocational education, minister responsible for adult education and the minister responsible for agricultural policies) until 30th of October and makes proposals for the following year.
Currently, the schools can receive a HUF 315 000/student/year (around EUR 807) support for running the Arany János Talent Programme and a HUF 420 000/student/year (around 1 077 EUR) support for running the Arany János College Programme.
National Talent Programme
In the framework of the National Talent Programme (Nemzeti Tehetség Program) altogether HUF 34 billion (about EUR 87.1 million) was spent for 19 000 supported organisations during the 14 years of their operation (2009-2023).
Its allocation is regulated by the Government Decree 104/2015 on funding of the National Talent Programme. The programme is implemented from the National Talent Fund and the Finance Act determines the amount to be allocated and the regulations for the use of the funds in each year.
In the 2023 Finance Act HUF 4.1 billion (about EUR 10.5 million) is dedicated to the programme and in 2024, it is HUF 3.5 billion (about EUR 9.1 million).
Preventing Roma girls from early school leaving
The funds entitled for support was HUF 2.6 billion (about EUR 6.7 million). The duration of the programmes is at least 24 months. The new EFOP programme provides a tender opportunity for this in the amount of HUF 5.6 billion (around EUR 14.3 million).
The Tanoda Programme
As mentioned above, starting from the year 2019, the Tanoda Programme got a place in the central budget of Hungary. Since then, there is a dedicated amount in the central budget. In 2023, it was HUF 2.8 billion (around EUR 7.2 million), in 2024, HUF 3.09 billion (around EUR 7.9 million) is dedicated to the programme.
Quality assurance
'Útravaló' Scholarship Programme
The monitoring of the programme is implemented within the framework of EU projects. Monitoring results from 2020 show that the programme is successful. Based on data from 3 sub-programmes, 13 829 disadvantaged pupils have been supported in the 2018-19 school year.
Arany János Arany János Programmes
The results of the 2020 Follow up report on National Social Inclusion Strategy show that the programmes reach their specific target group and provide good chances for mobility. According to the data:
- 77% of the students in the AJTP programme continued their studies in higher education,
- 56% of the students in the AJCP programme continued their studies after graduation.
National Talent Programme
The implementation of the National Talent Programme and the monitoring of programmes for supporting talents are carried out by the National Talent Coordination Forum (Nemzeti Tehetségügyi Koordinációs Fórum). This contributes also to increase the efficiency of the programme. The Forum members are the leaders of state and non-governmental organisations, including the head of the National Youth Council.
The Tanoda Programme
From the 1st of January 2019, according to a ministerial decree, the Tanodas must prepare a detailed report on their activities and on their operation.