CONCLUSIONS

The trend whereby many turn to the Office of the Commissioner for Educational Rights only to obtain information for understanding or solving their problems continued in the year 2002. Participants assign outstanding importance to decisions about educational issues, irrespective of whether such decisions are made by the participants themselves or others make such decisions about the participants. The prerequisite of responsible decision-making is to have as much information as possible for the careful consideration of any decision. The state, maintaining authorities, higher education institutions and civil organisations have plenty of information about education, but it is difficult for the users of this public service to gain access to this information. The right to information is regarded as an essential precondition for the enforcement of a range of educational rights. Co-operation between the various participants of education cannot be created without publicity. Indisputably, there are debates and conflicts among the various participants during such co-operation, but it is exactly this type of co-operation that will provide an opportunity to solve existing conflicts. Withholding information, or providing incorrect or insufficient information may lead to a situation without conflict, but that situation is never real. Experience shows that hidden conflicts tend to become apparent sooner or later, and when that happens the situation already involves a great deal of passion and emotion. Those who were excluded from information will feel that they have been let down. Lack of information is accompanied by helplessness, even with humiliation, in the case conflict. This can only be avoided if school citizens and university citizens can make responsible, informed decisions in their disputes in order to solve conflicts in a civilised manner. It is our conviction that this is the only way of achieving a functioning democracy in education.

Budapest, 12 March 2003.

Aáry-Tamás Lajos

Content