The Orbán regime introduced legislation to shut down accredited gender studies programs offered by universities in Hungary. Academics now have 24 hours to respond to the government’s plan. The ban will primarily impact students at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest (ELTE)–the only institution in Hungary, other than Central European University, to offer gender studies at the graduate level, and the only one to provide this program in Hungarian. The number of students impacted by the ban is small–only 11 applicants were admitted this year at ELTE and two at CEU. The maximum number of students that ELTE can admit any given year is 18 and those enrolled this coming academic year will be the last to take this program in Hungary. The decision to give those impacted 24 hours, in the middle of the summer vacation, to respond to this plan is a prime example of the spectacular arrogance that this regime has displayed for the past eight years. Gender studies in Hungary hardly pose a risk to the social narratives espoused by Fidesz and the Christian Democrats, but this regime is best known for kicking people and sectors of the society when they are down. Although the government is not formally citing ideological reasons for its decision to cancel gender studies (the official reason is that this program is not “economically rational”), circles within Fidesz, most notably its Christian Democrat (KDNP) wing, have been calling for this for some time. In 2017, Lőrinc Nacsa, the leader of KDNP’s youth wing, labelled gender studies at ELTE as a wasteful luxury and also as destructive. “We must raise awareness to the fact that these programs are doing nothing to lift up our nation. In fact, they are destroying the values-centered mode of thinking that is still present in the countries of Central Europe,” wrote Mr. Nacsa in his letter to the rector of ELTE. As well, HVG reminds its readers today that State Secretary Bence Rétvári (KDNP) in the Ministry of Human Capacities questioned whether gender studies even qualifies as a legitimate academic field, adding that this field of research is at odds with everything that the Fidesz government espouses. I could feign shock at this news or recite the obscene mantra of how Fidesz has now truly crossed a red line–a line that up until now nobody would have thought that they would pass. Yet this would be insincere. It’s too late to be horrified that this can happen in Hungary–it’s about eight years too late. Most sectors and demographics of Hungarian society, from journalists to shop owners to NGOs, have already felt the scourge of the party state in profound ways. Academics are next in line.<doc-sep>When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox But critics of Viktor Orban’s hardline cabinet, along with university professors, say the move would set a ‘dangerous precedent’ for state interference – and the freedom of all education courses offered in universities. They claim the ban is part of a wider campaign by the hardline leader to attack organisations or institutions that oppose his ruling Fidesz party and its strict conservative, anti-ethnic values. Gender studies professor Andrea Peto, of the Central European University (CEU) - one of two education establishments that could be affected by the ban – said any attempt to outlaw the subject violated the Hungarian constitution, which protects the freedom of learning, education and research. He said that any attempt to ban gender studies would affect people’s right to engage with education and higher learning in a free capacity.<doc-sep>A proposal by the Hungarian government to ban gender studies at universities in the country has been criticised as a "dangerous precedent" for state interference. Hungary’s ministry for human capacities said the proposed ban, which would come into effect at the start of the 2019 academic year, had been introduced because employers showed no interest in graduates from the subject. But critics say the ban is part of a campaign by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to attack NGOs or institutions that oppose his Fidesz party's socially conservative narrative. Andrea Peto, a gender studies professor at the Central European University, one of the two universities that could be affected, said the proposed ban violated the Hungarian constitution, which protects the freedom of scientific research and learning. “Never before has the government sought to legislate the curriculum of universities without consultation with the appropriate university institutions, Hungarian Accreditation Committee and the Higher Educational Planning Council,” Professor Peto told The Telegraph. “It also sets a dangerous precedent for state intervention in all other university courses.” The Central European University, and Budapest’s Eotvos Lorand University, the other institution teaching gender studies, were given just 24 hours to respond to the proposal.<doc-sep>
Several news outlets reported on Friday that the Hungarian government has banned gender studies programs, citing a lack of jobs for graduates. In a move that will certainly spark debates over censorship, the Hungarian government moved to ban gender studies programs, primarily from the two major universities in the country that offer gender studies programs. One of the universities is public and the other is private. According to , the part of the amendment which concerns gender studies provides no explanation whatsoever. Two universities are concerned: Hungary’s biggest state-funded university ELTE, and the Central European University, founded by George Soros. If the amendment becomes official, it will mean that nobody can attend gender studies courses in Hungary and get a degree in the subject. notes that CEU offers both Hungarian and American degrees, the amendment will not affect the latter. The Hungarian government claims that the decision was made before there are no jobs for gender studies graduates in the local job market. Additionally, they argued that offering such programs puts a strain on university’s finances, especially as graduates of such programs typically aren’t able to donate significant sums back to the university later on in life. The Ministry of Human Capacities told HVG.hu later today that there is absolutely no interest for gender studies graduates in the Hungarian job market. EMMI added that the course is economically irrational, so they assume that it’s not launched to give the students useful knowledge, but it serves other interests. According to the ministry, the gender studies MA takes away resources from other courses and harms the economic stability of the universities. Conservatives should be concerned about the precedent this sets considering their limited influence on academia. Not only does the decision risk making gender studies an intellectual forbidden fruit, progressive governments could use this decision as a catalyst to restrict conservative and libertarian thought in classrooms around the globe in the future. Gender studies may be partisan drivel with no grounding in reality. But it’s better for such programs to be laughed, rather than legislated, out of existence.