of the Dual Training System
After the domestic political battles that developed in connection with the Church laws, Prime Minister Sándor Wekerle transformed his cabinet in May 1894 and in the re-es-tablished government Loránd Eötvös became Minister of Religion and Public Education (Pölöskei 2005: 495). Eötvös headed the MRPE from 10 June 1894 till 15 January 1895.
The new minister cared about the problem of teacher training: he considered it necessary to modernise the training, to increase teachers’ salaries to improve their social appreciation and to make the teacher career attractive again (Felkai 1991: 145). Because of the lack of secondary school teachers and the expected high retirement wave, the new minister decided to revive his plan he shared with his uncle, Ágoston Trefort and, based on the model of the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, set up a boarding school for students of the secondary school teacher training institute.
He did not have time to implement his ideas, thus they were realised by his successor, Gyula Wlassics, as Sándor Wekerle again resigned and Eötvös did not want to be member of a government led by Dezső Bánffy. Wlassics asked the outgoing minister to be the curator of the Eötvös Collegium and manage the new institution alongside with Director Géza Bartoniek. From the academic year of 1896/97 he became the director of the teacher training institute and, after its reorganisation in 1899, also became director of the institute, staying in that position until his death on 8 April 1919 (Mann 1993: 80–82; Tóth 1995a: 19–24).
The new Minister of Religion and Public Education Gyula Wlassics held his position from 15 January 1895 till 3 November 1903. At the beginning of his time as minister, he classified the problems experienced in secondary school teacher training into two groups.
One referred to the internal situation of teacher training: he believed that the task of the university was not only to train scholars. He thought that the work of the scholar and the teacher was closely linked, therefore, their training should be organised in a similar way.
The other problem was related to the institutional system of teacher training. He wished to ensure that students were trained according to precisely defined rules. In 1898, he sent two teachers of secondary school of sciences to France and Germany to study the training systems there. By 1899, the new organisational rules of the Budapest teacher training insti-tute were completed, as a result of which it lost its independence and became a part of the university’s faculty of arts and by 1901 the detailed educational rules of each subject were also developed (Mann 1993: 99–100).
It was urgent to resolve the issue of teacher training, as, due to the reasons outlined in section 4.2, in the 1890s there was a significant shortage of teachers. One of reasons for that was Act XXX of 1883, which made the requirements to obtain teacher qualification more difficult (cf.
43
4.3. Setting up a New Teacher Training Boarding School 4.3. Setting up a New Teacher Training Boarding School
Keller 2010: 157) and at the same time, the introduction of Greek substitute subjects under Act XXX of 1890,52 demanded the recruitment of new teachers to start parallel classes where classical subjects were not taught. According to ministry data, between 1885 and 1899 the number of parallel classes with Greek substitute subjects in addition to traditional grammar schooling focusing on the acquisition of classical literacy increased from 53 to 137. The short-age of teachers was further increased by the fact that the enactment of the secondary school law resulted in the elimination of the so-called “truncated grammar schools” that had only four or six grades and all were extended into eight grades. This was justified by the increase in the number of students. The introduction of the national pension fund established by Act XXVII of 189453 created the possibility of retirement for a large part of the senior teachers of secondary schools operated under denominational and municipal administration. The retire-ment wave also affected teachers who entered state service in the 1860s, thus the MRPE took into consideration the great number of retirement claims based on their 30-year service.54
For that reason, the minister convened a meeting on 23 May 1895 to discuss the tasks related to the establishment of the new teacher training boarding school. In addition to Wlassics, the meeting was also attended by Mór Kármán, a practicing grammar school teacher, university professors Gusztáv Heinrich, Zsolt Beöthy and Ernő Fináczy, János Csengeri, a university private teacher and editor of the “Hungarian Pedagogy” and by ministerial advisers János Klamarik and Sándor Leövey (cf. Tóth 1995a: 21–22). During the meeting, Beöthy suggested that the boarding school should be named after the first minister of religion and public education. Klamarik pointed out that he had already called for the establishment of such an institution a decade before and at the same time stated that its future director should have broad pedagogical experience. With regard to the organisation of the institute, Heinrich noted that only the main elements of the institute should be laid down with a view that further refining of its operational mechanisms could be performed afterwards. In addition, it should be made possible for students to deepen the knowledge they receive at the university under the guidance of specialist teachers. He opposed the introduction of special classes because of the possible development of a stereotyped pattern and suggested that all students should be dealt with by teachers individually. In addition, he emphasized that the director should preferably be an unmarried practising grammar school teacher in order to be able to live in the institution. Kármán, on the other hand, believed that the institute’s operating principles should be regulated in detail, as it would have important tasks from the point of view of national education: it should correct the shortcomings of university education. He also opposed that the institute to be established should be a boarding school as the convictorium known from the old ages was much closer to Hungarians. Behind his proposal most probably there was the expectation that, in the absence of independent training, an organic relationship could have been established between the new institute and the teacher training institute, thereby creating a new system
52 Act XXX of 1890 on the amendment of Act XXX of 1883 on secondary schools and their teacher qualification.
53 Act XXVII of 1894 on the remuneration of male and female public school directors and teachers and on providing for their relatives who are not covered by a similar public provision.
54 25.874/1898. Opinion of the 5th Department of the MRPE on the planned development of the Eötvös Collegium. Budapest, 18 May 1898 MDKL box 88, file 185/4.
4. Professionalisation and the Development of the Teaching Profession 4. Professionalisation and the Development of the Teaching Profession
44
of teacher training. Perhaps that is why Ernő Fináczy suggested that the Ministry of Reli-gion and Public Education should entrust teacher training to the cooperation between the institute to be created and the practicing grammar school and that the teacher training institute should be terminated. The Minister finally entrusted the elaboration of concrete proposals to Kármán, Heinrich, Leövey and Beöthy.55
The meeting chaired by Zsolt Beöthy, Ministerial Counselor, discussed the written draft prepared by Mór Kármán. The chairman of the committee found that the draft was accept-able with amendments, however, at a later date it would also be necessary to draw up a disciplinary code. Drafting that was assigned to the responsibilities of the director or deputy director to be appointed later. He also proposed the appointment of a ministerial commis-sioner who, during the initial period, would exercise intellectual and professional control over the students and the specialist teachers. According to Beöthy, the position could have been connected to the administration of the primary practising grammar school, so that no extra cost would be required for its operation. In relation to the staff of the boarding school, to start its operation, he suggested that an Academic Director, a Supervisor Deputy Director, a Hungarian philologist, one, or possibly two classical philologists, a historian and a mathematician, as well as a German and a French language teachers should be employed (cf. Tóth 1995a: 25).56
Wlassics informed his predecessor about the organisation of the institute and sent him the organisational rules. Eötvös expressed his joy that the institute that was being set up would be named after his late father. Gyula König, professor of the Technical University and Géza Bartoniek helped him develop a position on this document. The latter because, based on the minister’s oral communication, at the request of Eötvös, he was a candidate for the position of the institute’s director, as he met Gusztáv Heinrich’s all prior expectations: he had great pedagogical experience and, despite his family related problems,57 he was willing to move into the director’s flat of the boarding school. As a result of their joint consultation, they created a draft regulation that deviated from that of Kármán’s in that, on the one hand, the institute’s mission was more precisely defined and, on the other hand, the tasks not related to teacher training were removed. Their proposal was meant to be temporary – and it did remain tempo-rary until the adoption of Teleki Pál’s organisational rules in 1923 – because they believed that it could be finalised when the structure of teacher training would become more mature and when among the institutes involved the exact position of the Collegium would also be defined. The Institute’s mission was to promote the success of its students’ higher education studies. This had to be done in a way that not only enhanced their knowledge of the subject, but also developed in them an attraction towards science and literacy. Eötvös believed that only teachers who have an increased interest in scientific issues could remain knowledgeable in the latest achievements of their field. Therefore, all the proposals that would have hindered
55 28.258/1895. Minutes of the meeting held on 23 May 1895 in the MRPE concerning the teacher training boarding school to be set up. Budapest, 23 May 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
56 30.689/1895. Zsolt Beöthy’s letter to Gyula Wlassics, Minister of MRPE, in relation to the boarding school.
Budapest, 5 June 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
57 His wife was struggling with neurasthenia; her condition was so severe that he had to place her under institutional care. Thus he was forced to place his underage daughters, Anna and Emma in his boarding school home.
45
4.3. Setting up a New Teacher Training Boarding School 4.3. Setting up a New Teacher Training Boarding School
the development of this type of training system were removed from the rules. That was the motivation behind the decision to grant the right to free decision-making in study related issues to the director and the curator (cf. Tóth 1995a: 24).58
In a letter dated 26 June 1895, Wlassics informed Loránd Eötvös that he had decided on the admission of 30 students for the boarding school to be set up and also asked him to take up the curator’s job as he believed it was needed to ensure the Institute’s success. For the time being, the Collegium was placed in the rooms of the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Kerkápoly Foundation building in Csillag Street. While he admitted that the rooms did not meet the needs of an educational institution in all respects, he commissioned architect Zsigmond Herczegh to estimate the necessary reconstruction, allocating 8000 forints for the costs. He also informed the commissioned curator that the deadline for the reconstruction works was 25 August 1895. In line with Eötvös’s request, Géza Bartoniek, a teacher of a civic female elementary teacher training institute, was commissioned to be the head of the Institute. In relation to other staff of the boarding school he also asked that a proposal be made for the teaching staff, but noted that until the institute receives a final organisational status and the necessary budget is clarified with the MRPE, they would not receive a regular salary, but a remuneration instead.59
In his reply, Eötvös thanked the Minister for his confidence and at the same time informed him that he would accept the position of the institute’s curator. He also informed the Minister that, in order to launch the academic year of 1895/1896, the Collegium had started to resolve the most urgent tasks. Géza Bartoniek was also helpful in this, gladly assuming the position of director. Eötvös also made suggestions for the specialist teachers: He promoted the appointment of Sándor Mika, practising grammar school teacher, Frigyes Riedl, teacher of an upper secondary school of sciences in the 4th District and of József Suták, a Piarist order teacher. A pay of 600 forints a year was appro-priated for them. In connection with the Kerkápoly House designated for the Collegium, he noted that it was necessary to reserve an additional room for staff meetings. For that purpose, he considered a small flat on the 2nd floor that became vacant as of 1 August 1895 to be suitable and therefore suggested that it should be purchased. He stated that the institute would be ready in every respect for the beginning of the academic year and that he had undertaken all necessary steps with Zsigmond Herczegh.60 On 31 August 1895, Wlassics approved the Organisational Rules of the Báró Eötvös József Collegium (Tóth 1995a: 24) and, as a result, Loránd Eötvös could make the following statement:
“There has been such an advancement in the development of the Collegium’s organisation that students can move in on September 21st.”61 In a submission dated at the time of launching the institute, Minister of the MRPE asked Franz Joseph for his approval of the opening
58 Letter written by Loránd Eötvös to Gyula Wlassics, Minister of MRPE containing his opinion on the organ-izational rules. Budapest, July 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
59 33.111/1895. Letter from Gyula Wlassics, Minister of MRPE to Baron Loránd Eötvös on the creation of the Collegium. Budapest, 26 June 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
60 36.227/1895. Reply sent by Loránd Eötvös related to the appointment by Gyula Wlassics, Minister of MRPE.
Budapest, 5 July 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
61 9/1895. Petition of Loránd Eötvös curator to the Minister of MRPE on the opening of the Collegium.
Budapest, 17 September 1895. MDKL box 88, file 185/1.
4. Professionalisation and the Development of the Teaching Profession 4. Professionalisation and the Development of the Teaching Profession
46
of the teacher training boarding school, which he acknowledged through the highest level decision of 5 October 1895 signed in Ischl.62
Loránd Eötvös not only occupied the newly established position of the boarding school’s curator, but also that of the director of a teacher training institute that had lost its independ-ence in accordance with Zsolt Beöthy’s proposal. That resulted in the establishment of a new organisational framework for teacher training within the university in 1899: in addition to specialist scholarly training at the faculty of arts, students were also advised to attend classes at the teacher training institute and, at the end of their training, the members of the teacher training institute had to undergo practical training at the practising grammar school. And, in connection with this institutional system, the Eötvös Collegium provided high qualification to the selected students. Thus, the dual system of institutions and conceptual separation in teacher training came to an end (Németh 2005a: 214; Ladányi 2008: 36–37). Although the Eötvös Collegium started its operation as an autonomous institution, the boarding school primarily supplemented its students’ university studies and, in addition, it embodied the new idea of teacher training developed by educational policy-makers: the graduates of the institution were scholarly teachers. Thus, it can be concluded that a boarding school that was established on the basis of a French model helped to develop the German-style teacher training model and to complete its institutionalisation.
The above statement is reinforced by Wlassics’s views on teacher training, which were delivered at the National Assembly on 21 February 1897: “… I have to express my firm opinion that I will never depart from the principle that teacher training should take place at university.
[…] I definitely require it and consider it an indispensable condition for teacher training to be first and foremost of a scholarly spirit, because the only teacher that can be a good teacher is one who can plunge into the spirit of science. […] This endeavour of mine in itself already proves that I intend to establish an organic relationship between the Eötvös Collegium and the teacher training institution”.63 The latter statement, therefore, underlines the fact that the new institute was an integral part of the institutional system of teacher training (cf. Tóth 1995a: 29). Thus, the institutionalisation of the Hungarian secondary school teaching profession reached a conclusion, thanks to the broad consensus around the need for training new types of teachers.
62 Petition of Gyula Wlassics to his majesty Franz Joseph on the royal approval of the Eötvös József Collegium’s provisional organisational rules. In Kósa 1995: 170–172.
63 Gyula Wlassics (1897): On issues related to the higher education policy. Quoted by Mann1987: 117–124.
Image 3: Géza Bartoniek in 1895