Content
Co-operation
In order for the Office to be able to carry out its functions in an efficient manner, it has to co-operate with governmental and non-governmental organisations protecting participants in education and also it has to provide them with services. Our fundamental principle is to do our outmost in addressing the challenges that we face. We take every opportunity to inform the public of the existence and operations of the Office, and to conduct dialogues with all parties concerned, so as to enable the resolution of problems in the best possible way. Co-operation with Ombudsmen is considered natural. The Ombudsman for Civil Rights, Dr. Katalin Gönczöl, asked our Office on some occasions to launch investigations with respect to complaints submitted to her Office. Regular co-ordination has been carried out with Dr. Jenő Kaltenbach, Ombudsman for Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities, in cases where both offices were addressed. Two joint investigations were launched in the past year.
In the spring of 2000, the Commissioner for Educational Rights, invited by the Parliamentary Education and Science Committee, informed Parliamentary representatives of his findings on mechanisms that made significant contributions to the improvement of the efficiency of our work.
With the aid of national minority self-governments, we had the information available on our work translated into the languages of minorities as well. These will be available on our website.
Our co-operation with the National Positive Association has contributed to the learning of the situation of children 'with other deficiencies'. As a result of our consultations, we gave them assistance to the resolution of a number of concrete issues and they provided us with important information.
The Foundation for Public Life of Students provides an Internet based service called Students' Rights Hot Line. This service helps students to understand educational rights. Since the interpretation of the law is beyond the remit of the Office, students can turn to the Hot Line found on our homepage. We have a link to our website on the Foundation's homepage for those who need their case investigated. A similar agreement has been prepared with the legal aid service of the National Conference of Students Self-Governments.
A co-operation agreement has been prepared with the Democratic Trade Union of Teachers, and we are planning to prepare similar agreements with other trade unions. We think it is necessary to provide teachers, whose rights have been violated, with the necessary assistance. For without competence, we cannot act accordingly in cases of this type. At the same time, unions may learn of cases where our Office may provide assistance. In such cases the unions advise teachers to turn to the Commissioner.
Two cases were submitted to us by the Office for the Protection of Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities where they thought that our assistance would be more effective than a legal action.
Last year, we supported the release of a publication. The Foundation for the Teaching of Human Rights and Peace re-published a book entitled 'Initial steps: Material for the teaching of human rights'. The Hungarian translation of the Amnesty International publication provides technical assistance through to practical examples to teachers.
There is a growing international interest in the operation of the Office. One of our employees participated in a training session on conflict management in Cyprus. The employee had been selected from among many applicants. Also, our Office made a number of presentations at a European Union seminar on school democracy.
In summary, we deal with a large number of national, regional and local organisations of participants in education. Also, we have developed working relationships with authorities and civil organisations and we intend to continue do so in the future.
Content
