A large number of students in Budapest, Hungary, showed up on a Friday afternoon in the pouring rain to demonstrate in front of the offices of the state-owned television conglomerate MTVA.
The students were showing their support for the teachers, who had been fired for revolting over their poor salary and years of neglect by the government.
Their intention was to demonstrate their support for the educators by lighting torches and shouting critical slogans at the administration.
The Budapest school system fired eight teachers last week for participating in a protest.
As a result of layoffs and absences, Karinthy Frigyes High School in Budapest had to shut down in December.
In a similar way, an “extraordinary break” was ordered at Vorosmarty Mihály Secondary School when 90% of the teaching staff refused to go back to work after one of their own was fired.
Teachers in Hungary are paid the least in the European Union, with even cashiers earning more.
Hungary already has a serious lack of qualified teachers, and even fewer young people are going into the field.
Hungarian teachers already felt underpaid, earning just around €520–560 per month after more than a decade in the profession, even before the cost of living crisis. Comparatively, a one-bedroom apartment in Budapest would run you between €400 and €600. Hungary has one of the highest rates of inflation in Europe at the moment, at 22.5%.
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