Lack of children leads to extreme competition for students in Hungary

With school-age children becoming an increasingly rare commodity in Hungary, some schools are going to extreme measures to attract first-graders and other elementary school students, reports portal origo.hu.

In Tápszentmiklós (Győr-Moson-Sopron county), the local school has been the beneficiary of a program called "home for children" initiated by the municipal government. As part of the initiative, families with children who move to Tápszentmiklós can live in homes owned by the local government for free for two years, after which they can rent or buy the properties. The town also offers free building sites for the families and Ft 3 million in support to build their homes.

This strategy has brought 22 children into the local school in last year, and 21 additional kids will arrive this year. According to the mayor, the school's problems are now "solved" for at least ten years.

While the Tápszentmiklós case may be extreme, the portal reports that other schools are doing their best to seem more competitive. Another example offered is the János Arany Elementary School in Szeged, which has expanded its curriculum to include new courses in English, information technology, art, acting, dancing and music.

And even some schools that are not offering new programs or other inducements are trying to do a better job of being attractive, by among other things holding special forums to introduce parents to the teaching methodology being followed.

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