Small opposition party LMP has asked the ombudsman to launch an appeal at the Constitutional Court over “severe rights restrictions” in connection with the government decree on the deadline by which students must submit university and college applications, a party lawmaker told a news conference on Sunday.
Agnes Osztolykan, who is the deputy chairman of parliament’s education, science and research committee, noted that the ombudsman had issued a statement on Thursday in which he argued that the short deadline for making applications violated students’ legal rights.
She said the original Feb. 15 deadline was too soon for students to be able to make a responsible decision which could affect the rest of their lives, adding that the education state secretary’s decision after the outcry to extend the deadline by nine days was “laughable”.
The first briefing for students about application requirements was released on Jan. 31 while information on the types and number of places available was published on Jan. 20.
The commissioner for fundamental rights, Mate Szabo, said on Thursday that the rights of students taking higher education entrance exams were harmed due to sudden changes to conditions, which forces them to hastily reconsider their options at a turning point in their lives.
Mate Szabo said in a statement that under the current circumstances insufficient time had been afforded to students in order to make a sound decision concerning their future education.
The changing conditions for entering places of higher education are due to the constantly shifting legal environment, he said.
Parliament at the end of last year passed a new higher education law which restricts the number of state-subsidised places at universities and places a ceiling on the number of students attending certain courses.
He said the authorities had not given students information on requirements such as the number of credits, course numbers and financing in a reasonable time on which basis they would make their decision.
