A New Strategy for Teacher Education in Hungary

The goal of the education system is to educate adults who are physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy, are competitive in the labour market and thrive in society. According to a 2007 study by the Global Management Consulting Firm McKinsey, the effectiveness of the education system, i.e., the successful achievement of the above goals, depends on three factors: (a) the talent of teachers, i.e., the ability of the education system to attract the most dedicated and competent young people to the teaching profession; (b) the methodological preparedness of teachers; and (c) whether the education system is able to reduce the disadvantages resulting from the economic and social disparities of families. Of the above three conditions, which are the most important task of the Hungarian government’s education policy to provide, the first two are related to teacher education and training, which makes the Hungarian teacher education system a key strategic area. The aim of the paper is to present the circumstances that create a need to reform the Hungarian teacher education and training, which are the European good examples that help to transform it. In the paper, we summarize our proposals that may or have helped to implement the reform of Hungarian teacher education.