Higher Education and Research Council

							Higher Education and Research Council
                     www.ftt.hu




         President: Dr. András Jávor
   Secretary General: Dr. András Várkonyi

                  presentation by
                 Dr. Ágoston Szél
member of the Higher Education and Research Council,
  Vice-Rector of Semmelweis University, Budapest
                   12. 05. 2011.
         The Higher Education and Research Council
                                is
•   an independent board of experts advising the Minister
•   contributes to the preparation of decisions
•   delivers opinions, and makes proposals
•   (with respect to issues of improvement, funding,
    research and development in higher education).

The Council contributes to the preparation of decisions
that address the socio-economic embedding of the
training and research scheme of higher education, its
development and funding, and cooperates in
monitoring its implementation.
• The Council monitors the linkage between higher education
  and society,
• in particular, labor market demands for professionals with
  college or university degree.
• It makes proposals as to the annual number of students
  admissible to state-funded training and the distribution of
  such numbers per the area of study and the level of training.
• The Council adopts a position on education policy issues that
  have a bearing on the linkage between higher education and
  the labor market,
• draws up forecasts on prospective labor market changes,
• makes recommendations for the modernization of the
  training scheme.
• The Council comments on the annual draft budget of
  the higher education system, and
• adopts a position on the annual budget report.
• It produces analyses and presents proposals in
  connection with the budget allocated to higher
  education.
• The Council comments on the Higher Education Bill
  and its draft implementing decrees,
• on the draft ministerial decrees regulating higher
  education.
• Upon request of the Minister, the Council delivers an
  opinion, adopts a position, and puts forward a
  proposal on any issue that affects higher education.
                            The Council

a) when so requested, conveys an opinion on
    – aa) proposals for institutional development plans,
    – ab) applications for grants provided on the basis of an
       agreement,
b) may draft a proposal on any issue that concerns higher education,
c) may make recommendations for higher education institutions on
   the initiative of governmental bodies or higher education
   institutions.
The Council requests an opinion from the ministry concerned when
   adopting the proposal or opinion specified in the Higher
   Education Act.
The Council conveys its opinion on the appointment or release from
   service of the Commissioner for Educational Rights.
 The Higher Education and Research Council is comprised of 19
                             members
• 6 members are delegated by chambers,
• 3 members by the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference,
• 2 members by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
• 2 members by the Minister.
• The National Union of Students in Hungary (1),
• the Association of Hungarian PhD and DLA Students (1),
• the Trade Union of Employees in Higher Education (1), and
• the ministers, responsible for Employment, Agriculture and
  Economy delegate 1 – 1 member each (3).
  Members of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, rectors,
  members of financial boards and civil servants may not
  become members of the Council.
• The Higher Education and Research Council elects its president
  and other officers from its members, and determines its order of
  operation.
• The members and the president of the Higher Education and
  Research Council are appointed by the Prime Minister for a
  period of three years on the recommendation of the Minister.
• The mandate may be extended on one occasion. The list of the
  president and the members of the Higher Education and
  Research Council shall be disclosed in the Government Gazette
  of the Republic of Hungary and on the homepage of the ministry
  headed by the Minister.
• Simultaneously with the Higher Education and Research Council,
  other standing and interim professional and expert committees
  may be set up.
• The expert committees involve the ministers concerned, a
  representative from each employer organisation of the National
  Interest Reconciliation Council, one member delegated by the
  national minority governments.
• The Council may employ Hungarian and foreign experts.
• The Council is a legal person and consists of the body
  established above and a secretariat.
• The seat of the Council is in Budapest, and it is represented by
  its president.
• The Council is not registered as a public benefit organisation, but
  exists as a public benefit organisation with special legal status.
• The employer’s rights in respect of employees of the secretariat
  is exercised by the president of the Council. The salaries and
  leaves of employees at the secretariat of the Council are
  governed by the provisions applying to public servants.
• The operation of the Council is funded from a special
  appropriation allocated from the budget of the ministry headed
  by the Minister.
• The president of the Council enjoys the right of disposal of the
  budget of the Council and may not be given instructions in this
  respect.
• The Council may participate in open invitations to proposals in
  accordance with its functions.
• The secretariat is headed by the secretary-general to whom the
  president of the Council may delegate some of its powers.
• The founding charter of the Council is issued by the Minister,
  and the Council is registered by the registration centre.
• The Council prepares its organizational and operating rules being
  subject to the Minister’s approval.

• The Government passes a decree on the establishment of the
  Council, the conflict of interests as regards membership,
  termination of membership, the operation of the Council, the
  execution of its tasks, and the functioning of its secretariat.

• The lawful operation of the Council is controlled by the Minister
  as defined by the Government.
 Main Elements of the Bologna Process Established
 in Hungary – as Demonstrated through an Example

         Comparable degrees


            Student mobility


European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)

                                                     Medicine
           Teacher mobility
                                                    Pharmacy
                                                     Dentistry
   Three-cycle education (BSc – MSc)
                                                       Law
                                       exceptions
                                                    Veterinary
           Quality assurance                        medicine
                                                    Engineering
                                                    Pedagogy*
                          Two-cycle model
                                                      University
     Clinical practice                            (research) career



    Specialist training                                PhD studies

4-6 years                                                       4-5 years



       6 years      Faculty of Medicine (university)             labor market



                 Maturation – „entrance examination”


                           Secondary school



                             Primary school
                   Three-cycle model


                        PhD studies
        4-5 years
                                                   health care
                                                  manager, etc.
             Faculty of Health Sciences (MSc)       labor market
 2 years


             Faculty of Health Sciences (BSc)       labor market
2,5 years                                             nurse,
                                                  optometrist, etc.
            Maturation – „entrance examination”



                     Secondary school



                       Primary school
                     Degrees and Titles

                                     Hungarian Academy of
                                       Sciences (HAS)
  (full) Professor


                                     Doctor of Sciences (DSc)
Associate professor
     (docent)
                                     Habilitation (science and
                                             education)
 Adjunct professor


                                              PhD – (Dr.)
Assistent professor

                                          Diploma – MD. (dr.)
University positions
                                          Degrees and titles
 The Strategic Basis of New HE Regulations
Investments into higher education are commonly known to
   have the highest yield in human resources – thus, in the
   economy;
In the next decade there will be a demographic decline,
   and, as a possible consequence, the shrinking number of
   age group 18-20 is expected;
The non-flexible, sequence-type education does not
   support relevant courses and the LLL;
The less effective educational methods result in low quality
   and less efficient learning;
New aspects are formulated and new methods are being
   established in the accreditation and quality control
   system of Hungarian HE that support the learning
   process and gaining skill abilities;
The „Research University” title has a good stimulating effect
  on quality but the sustainable financial support is not
  guaranteed;
Higher education in Hungary is not an appealing investment
  field for the enterpreneur sphere;
There is no clear distinction between innovative research
  and teachers’ scientific „self development” in HE support
  system;
The problematic preparatory education and smaller number
  of children result in an insufficient number of talented
  and devoted students entering HE;
The present HE Act tries to impose a uniform management
  system on the HEIs;
The capacity of strategic planning is weak and insufficiently
  developed in both central and institutional management;
There is a risk of over-indebtedness in HE sphere, due to the
    decreasing governmental support, to the increasing costs
    of an HEI, and to the excessive central regulations;
At present, the general budget aspect does not give any
    space to selective development;
The weak ministerial control in the near past urges more
    centralization and direct governmental intervention;
It is inevitable to apply in central administration
    intermediate organizations having specific deep
    knowledge and experience in HE;
HE could be governed by a general „framework act”
    together with a reasonable number of lower level
    decrees that cover all individual fields;
Now, there are available data based information sources for
    HE, to the continuous system monitoring.