Scholarship Program for the Disadvantaged Continues with an Increased Budget

MTI-Hungary Today 2023.08.22.

The Útravaló scholarship program for Romani pupils will continue with an increased budget, with more than HUF 2.8 billion (EUR 7.3 million) available this year, the Secretary of State for Welfare Policy of the Ministry of Interior announced in Budapest.

The program has increased by HUF 300 million (EUR 785,463) compared to last year. It basically provides support to disadvantaged and multiply disadvantaged children and young people for education. In the government’s view, catching up is about supporting talent, skills, and activity.

The Secretary of State said that applications for scholarships for the 2023/2024 school year are now open and there is one month to submit them.

Fact

The program has set specific targets to reduce early graduation without qualifications, increase the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils, and ensure access to quality education and training. One of the means to achieve this is to support the success of pupils from vulnerable social groups through professional and content development and activities that directly compensate for disadvantage. According to public education data, while the share of disadvantaged pupils in nursery and primary schools is 26-29%, the share in secondary schools offering A-levels is 7-11%. Disadvantaged Roma pupils also have much higher rates of early graduation without qualifications. The program’s sub-programs in public education provide mentoring and scholarship support, school progression programs, and events for the students involved. Pupils are enrolled in the program primarily on the basis of social eligibility and need, but the amount of the scholarship depends on their academic performance at the end of the previous year.

The scholarship program has four objectives and is therefore divided into four sub-programs to help children and young people in further education, vocational training, graduation, and obtaining a diploma, stressed Attila Fülöp, who also mentioned that currently around 10,000 students are participating in the program.

According to the state secretary, the eligibility criteria for the program are basically means-tested, while the amount of the scholarship is determined by performance. The amount of the scholarships varies between nine and twenty thousand forints (EUR 23.5-52.2) per month, except for the scholarship for graduates, which is 250,000 forints (EUR 654.39) per semester. In addition to the pupils and students participating in the program, mentors also have an important role to play and are also invited to apply.

More details on the project can be found on the website of the Directorate-General for Social Opportunities.

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Via MTI, Featured image via Facebook/Társadalmi Esélyteremtési Főigazgatóság