Are some meant to fall? Mapping the gaps between theory and practice of migrant and refugee education in Hungary

Abstract

This thesis examines how the right to education for refugee and migrant children is implemented in Hungary and to what extent education serves as a meaningful tool for integration. Although Hungary is legally bound by international and European obligations to provide equal access to education, significant gaps persist between legal commitments and actual practice. Using a qualitative document analysis, the study draws on three critical lenses – policy implementation theory, moral panic and intersectionality – to analyse legal frameworks, political discourse and the role of societal attitudes. The findings reveal that access to education is not only limited by bureaucratic and infrastructural barriers but also shaped by exclusionary nationalist narratives and widespread xenophobia. These dynamics particularly affect children with uncertain legal status and from marginalised backgrounds. While education holds potential as a mechanism for integration, it currently reflects and reinforces patterns of inequality. The thesis argues that closing the implementation gap requires not only a structural reform but also a fundamental shift in Hungary’s political and societal attitudes towards migration. Keywords: Integration, Education, Migration, Hungary