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Solutions, experiences in online education in
Hungary and Serbia related to the situation
caused by Covid-19
György Molnár
Department of Technical Education
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Budapest, Hungary
molnargy@eik.bme.hu
Zsolt Námesztovszki
University of Novi Sad, Hungarian Language Teacher
Training Faculty
Subotica, Serbia
zsolt.namesztovszki@magister.uns.ac.rs
Dragana Glušac1, Dijana Karuović2 and Lenke Major3
University of Novi Sad, Technical faculty “Mihajlo Pupin”
in Zrenjanin
Novi Sad, Serbia
1 dragana.glusac@at tfzr.uns.ac.rs,2dijana.karuovic@at
tfzr.uns.ac.rs,3lenkemajor@gmail.com
Abstract— The authors focused on the challenges and
options implied by the digital work form in both countries.
Describing the specific technological and methodological
solutions,. the article provides a detailed introduction of the
way Serbia and Hungary responded to the respective VUCA
phenomenon. An important aspect of such approach is the
application of virtual and augmented learning spaces and
presentation methods in education. The essay will include the
description of future plans as well.
Keywords—ICT based online platforms, teaching support
system, digital education, digital learning environments
I. INTRODUCTION
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a new social
and, at the same time, new educational situation in the
countries of the region, which has been resolved in various
ways. Traditional contact-based education has been
discontinued and replaced by online education. Also
common is that numerous digital curricula have been
produced during this period, and significant databases have
become available. In addition, many online platforms (such
as a significant number of test builders) have made their
previously premium services available free of charge.
II. EXISTING SYSTEMS AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
The popularity of online education has grown significantly in
Hungary and Serbia even before the 2020 pandemic. In
addition to forms of blended education, completely online
institutional educational environments have appeared as
well. A Hungarian innovative project was started in 2016
called K-MOOC (Carpathian Basin Online Education
Center), where several MOOC courses were offered in
Hungarian (Hegyesi et al., 2016, Hegyesi - Kártyás, 2013).
K-MOOC covers the entire Carpathian Basin and was the
first to be connected to higher education, and faculties and
universities. K-MOOC has set the goal of launching and
disseminating online courses in Hungarian, primarily for
Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin, but also for all
Hungarian native speakers around the world. On the one
hand, K-MOOC provides an online form of education
recognized by credit or diploma for students of higher
education institutions, faculties and departments in the
Carpathian Basin, which teach in part or fully in Hungarian.
On the other hand, it also offers another form of education
for lifelong learning. Its members are Hungarian-language
universities and colleges in Hungary and abroad, which join
the K-MOOC Network. Peer-to-peer institutions joining the
Network in all disciplines prepare and publish free, online
Hungarian language courses that are available to everyone
within the framework of K-MOOC, and their students can
take up courses from the available courses of any institution
within the Network. The courses are accredited, compatible
with the framework of the Network and worth credits in
higher education. The language of the system is Hungarian
and is maintained by the University of Óbuda (source:
https://www.kmooc.uni-obuda.hu/) [1] [2].
At present, 46 courses have been announced in the learning
management system (2020, summer semester), from
different disciplines and under the supervision of different
institutions.
The other framework that should be highlighted from the
Hungarian language area is Webuni, which is less formal and
not primarily designed for higher education (rather for
lifelong learning and for professional training).
Developments for Webuni began in 2012 and the way it
operates is defined as a community knowledge-sharing
platform. The initiative provides a platform and framework
for trends in the United States (online education, Coursera
and edX) [3].
Webuni defines the legitimacy of the system as follows:
“Today’s young generations is much more open to online
content, the world’s communication channels have been
completely transformed in recent decades, while our
education system has remained essentially unchanged. This
changed and accelerated flow of information has
necessitated a new kind of teaching-learning approach and
thus a new kind of teacher competencies. With Webuni, our
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goal was to create the technical background for this modern
form of education that not only provides educators with the
opportunity to adapt to today’s digitized expectations, but
also to gain a new source of revenue.” (source:
www.webuni.hu).
Additional benefits of the Webuni online learning
environment are that it is operated and administered by the
company, its interface is simple and clean, and it is
optimized for the video-based education that most people use
today. This method of online learning and teaching is the
closest to traditional classroom practice.
This means that learning materials usually appear in the form
of educational videos and can be accompanied by comments,
notes, and questions from users. The online environment has
a large number of existing courses and active users, so in
addition to promoting the created courses through different
channels, the system has a large number of potential students
who have a profile and are familiar with online learning.
In the introduction, we pointed out that the situation is
characterized by the fact that some premium services and
databases have become free. The contents were made
available to cross-border regions by the Nemzeti
Köznevelési Portál - National Public Education Portal
(https://www.nkp.hu/).
In Serbia, one of the most popular online educational
websites is ITACADEMY (https://www.it-akademija.com/),
which offers traditional, but completely online courses.
III. SOLUTIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN HUNGARY AND
SERBIA TO THE SITUATION CAUSED BY COVID-19
In Serbia, a state of emergency was imposed on the 15th of
March, 2020, which lasted until the 6th of May (Службени
гласник РС", бр. 29/2020, Службени гласник РС", бр.
65/2020). Starting from the 17th of March, education has
been organized in the form of distance learning and
traditional education was completely discontinued.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technological
Development has adopted an operational plan that includes a
large number of different programs and alternative digital
ways of teaching and learning in preschool institutions, and
in all grades of primary and secondary school. The focus is
on organized distance learning that contributes to the
implementation of programming with contents of general
education subjects and professional subjects with the largest
amount of classes (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/) [8].
Educational contents are broadcast on the TV channels RTS2
and RTS3, and are also available for downloading through
the free application for mobile phones and tablets via “RTS
Moja škola” (“RTS My School”), on the RTS website and
the multimedia platform “RTS Planeta”
(https://mojaskola.rtsplaneta) [4]. A national platform for
online learning has been established on the “Moja škola”
website available at www.mojaskola.gov.rs, which supports
the broadcasting of classes on RTS. The website available at
www.rasporednastave.gov.rs was also established, where
the broadcast schedule of the RTS classes is available, along
with a link to the platform “Moja škola”
www.mojaskola.gov.rs. During the crisis period, Microsoft
provided the use of the Office 365 platform for free, within
which a version of the “Teams” application, adapted for
education, is available. The “Zoom” application is intended
for online meetings and is available in a free version with
certain limitations in functionality. Due to the fact that some
schools use it for remote teaching, for those who do not have
Internet access at home, free access to the application was
provided through the mobile networks MTS Telekom and
Telenor. Upgrading and expanding the functionality for
formative monitoring and evaluation of students is done
through “esDnevnik” – starting on the 2nd of April, 2020,
parents have been enabled to follow all the formative grades
of students through the portal’s parent module
(https://moj.esdnevnik.rs/). For eighth grade students who
did not have the conditions to attend distance learning and
access the online final exam, Internet access and/or technical
devices (tablets and mobile phones) were provided from
donations thanks to the Huawei Serbia Office and companies
donated 100 tablets. In addition, Comtrade provided 300
phones, Telekom provided 800 Internet cards and 800
phones, VIP donated 800 Internet cards and 400 phones,
while Telenor donated 800 Internet cards and 400 phones,
which totals at 4,400 devices and cards (source:
http://www.mpn.gov.rs/).
During the state of emergency, kindergarten education also
stopped and switched to online. In this regard, the priority
tasks of the system of preschool education in this period
include the following groups of activities:
● 1. activities related to the preservation of human health
and safety in accordance with the measures prescribed
by the Government of the Republic of Serbia,
Government decisions, recommendations and
instructions;
● 2. activities that support families with preschool
children on how to provide proper conditions for the
normal functioning, learning and development of
children during the state of emergency and home
isolation;
● 3. activities that support professional networking,
networking and exchange of experiences of practitioners
in the field of research, joint learning and competence
development.
According to the results of the Questionnaire (whose
preliminary analysis was prepared by the UNICEF team),
which was completed by 168 public preschool institutions in
the Republic of Serbia, in the segment related to activities to
support children and their families, the most commonly used
media of communication with families were “Viber” and
“WhatsApp” services (71%); in second place, in terms of
frequency of use, preschool institution employees used social
networks for communication with families. Most educators
and parents agreed on the optimal way, frequency and terms
of communication (84%). Parents, in accordance with their
abilities and rhythm of life, were involved in the
communication with educators, which is stated by 76% of
preschool institutions (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/).
Gy. Molnár et al. • Solutions, experiences in online education in Hungary and Serbia related to the situation caused by Covid-19
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Thanks to UNICEF, which procured and donated licenses for
the “Camtasia” software in a very short period of time, the
recording of classes at home began in early April, while their
broadcasting started on the RTS channels in mid-April. New
ways of realizing distance learning are being designed in
accordance with the possibilities of the system and the short
deadlines (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/). This solution
has also been chosen by the Hungarian minority living in
Serbia (https://pannonrtv.com/rovat/tavoktatas) [5], the
Croatian minority solved the issue of distance learning with
the help of the Novi Sad Television channel
(https://hnv.org.rs/obrazovanje/nastava/), while the Albanian
minority did so with the help of local TV stations as well as
YouTube channels
(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHzaCMCMvF2c7biQ
RAHjUtw/playlists).
The largest number of students in the Republic of Serbia,
according to school reports, is included in the
implementation of distance learning - in both primary and
secondary schools this is true for 99% of students, while in
schools for the education of students with disabilities the
coverage is 93%. This applies to both watching TV classes
and using the online learning platforms, as well as the use of
alternative forms of distance learning (source:
http://www.mpn.gov.rs/) [7]. Universities and university
faculties have independently defined methods and platforms
for online education. For example, the University of Novi
Sad used a MOODLE-based customized platform, “SOVA”
(https://sova.uns.ac.rs/). In contrast to public education,
higher education has been re-launched and admission, as
well as some laboratory exercises and measurements have
been maintained in the traditional way, while also respecting
the rules of social distancing and hygiene.
In addition to instructional videos, the Ministries of several
neighboring countries also operated centrally administered
virtual classrooms (Croatian example:
https://skolazazivot.hr/), while in other countries in the
region it was entrusted to the teachers or schools to
implement a distance learning platform [15].
Video conferencing was popular (Skype, Microsoft Teams,
8x8, or Jitsi Meet), which is perhaps the closest to the
traditional learning environment and could be employed for
teaching effectively without a pre-made digital curriculum
[20].
Special mention should be made of the possibility of
recording videos during a “Skype” call, which is a video
conference in real time, but at the end of the call it is
converted into an educational video that can be viewed for
30 days. In addition to these options, virtual classrooms
(more precisely LMS - Learning Management System) such
as “MOODLE” or “Google Classroom” were also popular
[11-14] [18] [19].
In terms of trends and further developments, this new
educational situation has highlighted the benefits of online
education, but has also pointed out its weaknesses. It was
apparent from the beginning that disadvantaged students
were most likely to be placed on the periphery in this
educational situation.
In Hungary, at least one third of the students from the group
of socially disadvantaged students could not take part in
online education (Rosa Parks Alapítvány, Motiváció
Egyesület, Partners Hungary - Rosa Parks Foundation,
Motivation Association, Partners Hungary, 2020). In most
cases, there is a lack of distance learning equipment (laptop,
tablet, Internet access) which most schools are unable to help
with, as well as a lack of adequate space for learning, and in
addition, many such households do not have electricity
either. Parents are unable to help interpret tasks and in many
cases lack the appropriate digital competencies. The situation
is similar for disabled children, but it is likely that the
interpretation of tasks and the lack of digital competencies
are a problem here [10].
More data: https://partnershungary.hu/wp-
content/uploads/2020/04/Szegrega%CC%81cio%CC%81-
e%CC%81s-digita%CC%81lis-oktata%CC%81s-a-
koronavi%CC%81rus-ideje%CC%81n.pdf, [6].
In Serbia, the Ministry of Education, Science and
Technological Development in cooperation with UNICEF
and the Institute for Psychology assessed and published a
report named: Tracking the ways of participation and
learning processes of students from vulnerable groups during
education through distance learning (Praćenje načina učešća
i procesa učenja učenika iz osetljivih grupa tokom
ostvarivanja obrazovno-vaspitnog rada učenjem na daljinu)
In primary schools, distance learning covers 83% of students
who are members of the Roma national minority who need
additional support in education, with 56% of these students
watching TV or online classes and 27% receiving alternative
forms of support, while 17% of students are not included in
learning in any way. In secondary schools, 91% of students
from this vulnerable social group are covered by distance
learning. Of the total number of these students, almost 74%
watch TV or online teaching, and almost 17% participate in
distance education through alternative forms of support,
while 9% is not included at all (source:
http://www.mpn.gov.rs/).
When it comes to students with disabilities, 96% of these
students in primary schools are covered by distance learning.
About 76% of these students follow TV or online classes,
and for about 20% of them alternative forms of support are
provided, while the remaining 4% are not included in
distance learning. In secondary schools, distance learning
covers 97% of students with developmental disabilities and
disability. About 87% of students watch TV or online
classes, while 10% are included in alternative forms of
support, and the other 3% are not included in any form of
teaching (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/).
When it comes to students from other vulnerable groups,
such as students from families of low socioeconomic status,
refugees, migrants and others, 94% of those attending
primary schools are involved in some form of distance
learning. Of the total of these students, about 82% watch TV
or online classes, about 12% are covered by alternative
forms of support, and 6% are not included in any way. In
secondary schools, 67% of students in this category are
enrolled in classes via distance learning. Among all these
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students, 60% watch TV or online classes, about 7% are
covered by alternative forms of teaching, and 33% are not
included at all (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/)
Table 1.: Frequency of different reasons why students are not covered by
TV and online classes by group (source: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/)
The other area from which most requests for help came was
the scope of activities associated with music. Here,
fluctuations in Internet bandwidth can result in serious
outages and it is difficult to monitor the process, while
playing music together online can also be a huge challenge
both organizationally and technically.
A. Solutions and experiences in Hungary
In Hungary the Government and the Educational
Authority have forwarded the following methodological
recommendations for the educational system during the
COVID-19 pandemic. In the state of emergency caused by
the corona virus the educational system has to be
continuously operated, students must be provided with the
opportunity to learn and schools and pedagogues have to
adapt to the unexpected situations. Pedagogues play a
complex role in the education process. On the one hand they
function as the sources of information and transmitters of
knowledge in charge of the development of various student
skills. Furthermore, on the other hand the teacher functions
as a guide or tutor supporting, motivating, and directing
independent learning. When teachers are deprived of the
option of direct personal contact with students, the latter
function entailing the support of independent learning and
the search and processing of information becomes crucial.
In order to assure the right to learning pedagogues should
provide information and support to students, identify the
educational material to be processed and determine the
means of monitoring the acquisition of knowledge within the
framework of distance learning via the use of info-
communication devices.
Consequently, each school selected a digital platform
and made it available to the students in a short time. Such
surfaces included the Ms Teams, Team Link, Google
Classroom, the Kréta system, the Moodle system, the Neo
LMS, Neptun Meet, Discord, and Skype for Business. [16]
[17].
IV. SUMMARY, PLANS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND VISIONS
FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
The epidemiological situation in Hungary and Serbia is
different. At the time of writing (early August, 2020), the
number of new infections per day in Serbia is around 300
(more than 26,000 cases in total), while in Hungary the
number of new infections per day is around 10, with a total
of more than 4,000 reported cases (source:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/). Therefore,
under these different circumstances, decision makers must
plan the new school year.
In Serbia, no final decision has been made yet on how
education would continue. Education Minister Mladen
Šarčević has stated that they assume that younger children
will be taught in school.
The primary goal is for students in the lower four grades
to attend school for three weeks and take part in distance
learning in the fourth week, while upper grades would be
divided into two weeks of school and distance learning.
Children will need to wear a face mask if this will be
recommended by professionals. According to Šarčević,
traditional education will only be possible again when the
situation is completely safe, and this will obviously only be
possible after the discovery of the vaccine (source: Pannon
RTV) [9].
The plans for the future include the full integration of the
Moodle electronic learning environment with the Ms Teams
system and the Neptun student administration system. Such
developments appear to be inevitable due to the expected
second wave of the pandemic. In the meantime, the digital
skill development and methodological preparation of
pedagogues is vital as such programs can significantly
impact the efficiency of the educational process during
digitalized instruction.
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Gy. Molnár et al. • Solutions, experiences in online education in Hungary and Serbia related to the situation caused by Covid-19
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