The year of solidarity Student activism and teachers' movements in 2022

Abstract

The study surveys the movements that expressed criticism about the Hungarian education system in 2022. The paper aims to present the evolution, social background, and interaction of the strikes and acts of civil disobedience staged by teachers and the solidarity movements organized by students. I relied on territorial databases about teacher and student strikes compiled by non-governmental organizations and trade unions. The review outlines the territorial expansion of the process. It also deals with the social representation, organizational structures and the most important demands of these protest movements. It points out the institutional and educational effects of the movements highlighting the value of solidarity, the implementation of practical civic education and participatory behaviour, the development of legal consciousness, the importance of the discourse on professional autonomy and teachers’ self-image. It focuses on the interest representation by the participants of the educational system. The study evaluates the effects of the educational movements, which took place in 2022, and considers the chances of corrections in the educational policy.