Act LXXIX of 1993 on Public Education

The public education act provides for all children living in the territory of Hungary a free eight-year general education and free upper secondary level general or vocational education. Under the Act, compulsory and free education starts at the age of 5 (ISCEd 0), corresponding to the last year of pre-primary education, and finishes at the age of 18 (ISCEd 3). At the end of upper secondary studies students must pass secondary school leaving examinations in order to be admitted to higher education. The Act also regulates the rights and obligations of students, that of the institutions’ pedagogical and administrative staff, as well as the rights of parents to form parents’ associations in schools and to have a say in matters regarding the education of their children. The accreditation and subsidy of textbooks is regulated by a specific decree. The responsibility of the choice of textbooks falls on the teaching staff, while the Ministry of Education and Culture approves the list of the eligible textbooks.