The protest was held also in connection with a recent government decree banning the use of mobile phones in schools.

Levente Felhofi-Kiss, a Madach alumn, said the use of mobile phones had always been regulated by school rules. "The digital world is our life," he said.

Beata Berta and Oliver Pilz, activists of the Tanitanek movement, said teachers had recently been subjected to "repercussions".

"A policeman became education minister in 2022, and the firing of teachers practising civil disobedience started, then the law on the status of teachers was passed, and many head who stood up for teachers' rights were sacked," they said.

A former teacher at Madach, Andras Ferenc Dukan, said he had been fired "for trumped-up reasons" a year ago, just as a former head, Csaba Meszaros, had earlier this year.

Retvari: Most Agree With Restricting Smartphone Use in Schools

Surveys show that most Hungarians agree with restricting the use of smartphones in schools, a government official said on Tuesday, adding that respondents also backed the government's related decree.

Bence Retvari, the parliamentary secretary of the interior ministry, said devices may only be used in the classroom if doing so is relevant to the lesson at hand, and the government has provided 450,000 laptops to students so far, and 100,000 more will be distributed this year.

Online bullying can be minimised by restricting the use of mobile devices during school hours, he added.

Speeches by activists of the Tanitanek movement

Yesterday we protested in front of the Ministry of the Interior in support of the unfairly dismissed principal of Madách Imre High School and against the failed education government.

Olivér Pilz and Bea Berta spoke on behalf of the School, below you can read their speeches in English as translated by those involved in this movement:

“Hey there! Thank you for coming to protest together against the replacement of director Csaba Mészáros! Principal is also an excellent history teacher, apart from the fact that he led the Madách Imre High School very successfully. That's why we were also in the mood for a little history crash course from the events of the last 2 years.

And now that a teacher is coming up, everyone should take out their cell phones (and any smart device) and throw them into this box - or say out loud what you think of this procedure!...

So let's get started! Spring 2022: The education crisis and painfully unattainable salaries are causing educators nationwide to embark on civil disobedience.

In Europe, a policeman became the minister of education. Sándor Pintér designated his sole task to keep the schools in order. This hurts many, because this is not what the school should talk about.

In the autumn - due to civil disobedience - the deputy headmaster of the Herman Otto High School in Miskolc will be replaced and on the same day a crowd of teachers received a threatening letter. It hurts, doesn't it?

Then the teachers' firing started: in Kölcsey, Karinthy, Vörösmarty, Eötvös and Pécs. This hurts many students, parents and colleagues, and a national wave of solidarity has started.

At the end of the school year, the status law was also introduced, which we call the law of revenge, not for a reason. Many people dropped out of the schools and have not been allowed back on the field ever since. But there are people who were not hired because they confessed that they had gone on strike earlier in the job interview. But did it hurt enough?

There was a shortage of directors this summer: many institution leaders - although they applied alone - did not renew their assignments. And we are talking about principals of schools whose teachers have previously voiced their opinions on the sad state of education. But did it hurt enough?

During the vacation, Pinterests surprised teachers and students: they issued ordinances in which - despite the warnings and suggestions of professional organizations - tried to regulate the use of mobile phones by students and teachers. Also, the teachers have to take the exam from the failed NAT. Does this hurt enough?

Then - as it was already heard before us - came the news about the closure of the institutions of Gáborék Iványi. Does this hurt enough?

The last point of our history lesson is the replacement of Csaba Mészáros. Does this hurt enough for everybody? Who knows what's coming and who's next? Will it hurt enough only when it is your turn?

What do you filter out from the previous lesson, does this hurt enough? Did they leave the field or those for whom it was justified removed or should someone else leave urgently?

And now we quote Sara Törley-Havas from the Facebook post. Sara is the playwright of the play Sárszeg of the Joseph Katona Theater, the performance is based on the Golden Dragon of Kosztolányi:

Thanks to power, "for always being down"... "and they will give inspiration for this performance as well. But more so to teachers and students who in recent years have dared to step out of the box. They took some chances. And they proved that there is always something to do, there is a radical, proud and straight spine, uplifting stand.

Those who are fighting against the system today do not do it because they have illusions, but because they have no other option. A man becomes resilient because he has nothing to lose anymore. The rollercoaster of the system has reached its profession, private life, values, family, and is undermining it with a steady pace. He loses everything one way or another. But he doesn't give it voluntarily. Let's not just give it voluntarily!

Solidarity is not only a noble democratic value, but also a mechanism for self-defense. The realization that what they can do with others, they can do with them at any time.

When they are fired, bought, terminated, silenced, bleded out, ignored, hoarded, destroyed... the academia, the editorial office, the university, the farmers, the teachers, the health service, then I can be fired, bought, abolished, silenced, bled out, ignored, bored and destroyed. And then I can decide whether to leave it or resist it. ”

Let's hope that tens of thousands of students and their parents learn from the history lessons of today!

More and more of us are in pain, and that's why we want to do it, but not only here, in front of the Ministry of the Interior, we have many people here with us in spirit all over the country, from whom in 3 days (until yesterday evening) we received 475 messages (38 pages, which are printed here and will be transmitted) - and ever since they came - to the principal and the school. 20 of these will now be read by current and former mosquitoes.

Messages came from all counties, both villages and towns.

The soon-to-be-spoken thoughts have arrived from the following settlements:
Vasszentmihály, Debrecen, Szolnok, Boldog, Börcs, Szentgotthárd, Kecskemét, Borsodnádasd, Keszthely, Kápolnásnyék, Gödöll l, Sopron, Islandmonostor, Tiszalök, Budaörs, Sé, Mez ,berény, Telkibánya. 

But before we leave the stage: We demand that the violation that was committed against the director be withdrawn! If this does not happen, we will meet in the fall! Because we need to realize that this is not an isolated case, we are not the only ones in pain! We need to connect these dots so that they can hurt too!”

Speech Source: https://www.facebook.com/tanitanek/posts/822072333449057?locale=hu_HU

Source: 
MTI - The Hungarian News Agency, founded in 1881.

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