THE HUNGARIAN PEDAGOGICAL SOCIETY
A brief introduction
1) The Hungarian Pedagogical Society is a not-for-profit civil association, which unites the practitioners of interdisciplinary education sciences, educational theory and practice in its departments, work committees and workshops.
2) It is the oldest and largest Hungarian non-governmental, professional, multi-disciplinary association of the child-centred and/or education-centred profession. Its foundation coincided with the rise of the modern education movement at the end of the 19th century, in 1892.
3) The Society is a voluntary, autonomous and professional union of organisations and institutions dealing with education and training in the spirit of lifelong learning.
4) The Society’s members can be pedagogical institutions and organisations, or individuals: teachers of all types, social pedagogues, animateurs, people involved in the practice or theory of education etc.
5) The Hungarian Pedagogical Society’s aims are:
· the development of educational theory and practice,
· safeguarding the interests and the progressive features of traditional Hungarian education,
· sharing new results and achievements with the public,
· improvement of the social recognition of education’s outstanding role.
6) The tasks of the Society:
- to support the research regarding public education,
- to motivate the development of education,
- to support and make known pedagogical innovations,
- to keep professional dialogues open and ongoing in the various fields of interests,
- to shape the opinion of non-professionals and the public,
- to explore the traditions of education,
- to collaborate with national and international institutions, societies and organizations,
- to organise conferences, lectures, meetings and exhibitions,
- to organise a national event called ‘The Week of Lifelong Learning’,
- to organise a so called ‘Relay Camp’ for strengthening the relationship between the different generations,
- to take initiative regularly in assembling Congresses on Public Education,
- to publish professional periodicals such as: the Új Pedagógiai Szemle (New Pedagogical Review), the Kisgyermek (Infant) etc.,
- to publish books,
- to produce expert’s reports on laws concerning education.
7) The Society is a member of:
- The Organisation of International Comparative Education,
- The European Parent Association,
- The International Makarenko Committee,
- The International Korczak Committee.
8) Organizational units of the Hungarian Pedagogical Society
- There is a department in each Hungarian region as well as in the capital.The Society has nearly 30 sections reflecting the interests of its members (such as Adult Education Section, Visual Art Education Section, Child and Youth Welfare Section, After School Day-care Section, Family Pedagogy Section, Somatic Education Section, Young Adult Group Section etc.)
- Every member has the possibility to initiate and establish new sections, or to take part in more than one section’s work.
- The sections have the freedom to make new connections, decide about cooperation strategies, set their own organizational and functional rules, and the frameworks for the members’ activity.
Contact details: Hungarian Pedagogical Society
Main Office: 1052 Budapest, Petőfi Sándor Street 3., Hungary
Postal Address: 1364. Budapest, Pf. 176.
email: mpt@index.hu
website: www.pedagogia-online.hu/mpt
