29 teachers in Szentgotthárd school begin practicing indefinite civil disobedience

An extraordinary break has been announced for the students at Arany János elementary school in Szentgotthárd after 29 faculty members started practicing civil disobedience today, Ugytudjuk.hu reports.

The 29 teachers who decided to practice civil disobedience for an indefinite length of time sent a letter to the parents of their students, which has come into Telex's possession. In it they write that they are forced to resort to this step if they are to draw attention to the untenable state of Hungarian public education. They also mention that they are prepared to accept the consequences of civil disobedience.

On Saturday, after the news broke, we wrote to the school to ask how they would be able to replace the teachers who will not be available. They did not reply to our letter, but the school's director, Andrea Schleipfnerné Gáspár, told Ugytudjuk.hu on Monday:

“The school employs 35 teachers, 4 of them are teaching assistants. Replacing 29 of our colleagues is impossible, so I have ordered an extraordinary school break for today. From tomorrow we will provide supervision for our students. Education will resume from 12 January. As head of the school, my primary responsibility is to ensure the functioning of the school. To this end, I am in constant consultation with my colleagues.”

On Monday, we contacted the Szombathely School District Office, which operates the school, asking what the consequences of the teachers' walkout might be. We will update the article if we receive a response.

In 2022, 13 teachers were fired by their school districts for repeatedly participating in civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is a form of protest not regulated by law, but teachers still choose this form of protest because compliance with sufficient services required during a strike makes their protest invisible.

Teachers, students and parents concerned about the future of public education in Hungary have long been fighting for their nine-point demands, but the government has so far failed to take any meaningful steps towards a genuine dialogue. It is for this reason that the Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ) has announced that from 23 January there will be another week-long national strike for the future of education.