In November and December, an additional 140,000 laptops for educational purposes, personal use, and institutional use will be provided to 7th and 10th-grade students, as well as schools nationwide, the Deputy State Secretary for Public Education of the Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday in Ráckeve.
Katalin Balatoni, speaking at a press event at the local Ady Endre Secondary School, emphasized that Hungary is also affected by digitalization, and the COVID-19 pandemic has particularly highlighted the importance of the acquisition of tools and technical conditions to keep pace with the world.
She recalled that,
with the support of the European Union and a budget of over 200 billion forints, the project ‘Ensuring Equal Access to Digital Education for Students and Teachers’ will distribute 579,000 educational laptops
for personal use nationwide by the end of 2025.
She also noted that there are potential dangers in the digital space, and young people, educators, and parents share the common task and responsibility to prepare them for this. To achieve this goal, from the third grade onwards, the subject of digital culture is introduced, while from the 10th grade, civic knowledge helps educate about conscious internet usage among the students.
She went on to mention that, alongside the distribution of laptops that started last year, more than 4,000 locations have been equipped with wireless internet access, and on a budget of 10 billion forints, the electrical networks of the relevant institutions have been renovated. In addition, over 300 digital textbooks have been developed, and the Kréta system now includes English and German language learning applications.
As part of the programme, for four years, parents or legal representatives of upper-grade elementary and secondary school students can request a personal-use laptop for their children. Additionally, by 31 December 2024, participating educational institutions will receive modern display tools, interactive panels and tools that enhance student creativity and problem-solving skills, such as programmable robots, microcircuits, and drones.
Related articles:
