Hungary: equal opportunities programme boosts support for vocational students

A new approach to preventing early leaving

Launched in 2024, EOP aims to reduce dropout rates and support struggling students in vocational education and training (VET). Vocational teachers mentor 2–5 students through individual sessions. Participating teachers receive a one-time gross allowance of HUF 300 000 (approximately EUR 760).

Digital monitoring and targeted support

A digital Early School Leaving (ESL) prediction system, part of the KRÉTA platform monitors academic performance and absences to identify students at risk. This enables timely intervention and targeted educational support.

Autumn 2024: nationwide roll-out

From 15 October to 30 November 2024, all 41 VET centres (regional bodies overseeing networks of vocational schools) joined the EOP. Of 355 VET institutions (the individual vocational schools belonging to the VET centres), 338 participated, involving 3 697 teachers who mentored 11 227 students during this targeted programme period. On average, each teacher mentored 3 learners. Most students (68.7%) attended 5-year technicums, while 23.8% were in 3-year vocational schools and 7.5% in flexible learning pathways such as the Orientation development programme, the Basic competences development (Dobbantó) programme, or the School workshop (Műhelyiskola) programme.

Students with the following risk indicators were included in the programme:

• 46% at high risk of ESL
• 14% disadvantaged or with multiple disadvantages
• 26% students with special education needs or integration -, learning -, and behavioral difficulties
• 7% with health or learning challenges
• 3% repeating a school-year.

Teachers applied diverse pedagogical methods, building on personalised approaches to develop learning strategies, strengthen motivation, and provide meaningful guidance.

Positive results and feedback

Nationwide results show that the average student GPA improved from 2.84 to 3.11 since the start of the programme. The number of failing students decreased from 6 205 to 4 198, representing a 32% improvement reduction. Unauthorized absences also decreased over the same period. Institutional assessments identified significant progress in reading comprehension, logical thinking, conflict resolution, self-awareness, and learning motivation. Both students and teachers shared positive feedback, confirmed by the full-scale survey of the National Office of VET and Adult Learning (NOVETAL) and the National Teachers’ Association (NTA) questionnaire results.

Spring 2025: continuing success

The programme was relaunched from 1 March to 30 April 2025, maintaining its goals and methodological principles, and allowing teachers and students to continue their work based on successful previous practices. While a comprehensive evaluation is underway, preliminary feedback suggests similar gains in student motivation and performance.

Conclusion

EOP provides personalised support for vocational students, helping them improve their academic achievement, strengthen key competences, and increase their prospects of entering a profession. Feedback from VET centres indicates that extending the duration of the programme and establishing knowledge-sharing forums or professional workshops for mentors could further increase its effectiveness. Results from 2024–2025 clearly show that targeted, individualised support plays a crucial role in reducing dropout rates and supporting students’ educational and career success.

Read more:

• Esélyteremtő Program [Equal Opportunities Programme]
• Szakképzési oktatók adatalapú előrejelzéssel segítik a sikeres szakmaszerzést [VET teachers use data-based forecasting to support successful qualification]  
• Esélyteremtő Program monitoring report [Equal Opportunities Programme Monitoring Report, November 2024]