School year kicks off with partisan debates
September 2nd, 2021A left-wing commentator accuses the government of ignoring the threat of coronavirus by not introducing any restrictions in classrooms. A pro-government pundit blames traffic jams on Budapest Mayor Karácsony.
In Népszava, Dániel Juhász lambasts the government for ignoring the threat of coronavirus in schools. The left-wing commentator finds it reckless of the government to start classroom education without either restrictions or mandatory testing. The government established voluntary vaccination for all students over the age of 12 for the first days of the school year, but did not introduce any restrictive measures in schools. In an aside, Juhász adds that the government also wants to sweep other problems of the education system under the carpet as well, and does not seem to be bothered by underpaid teachers and the rural poverty that undermines equality of opportunity.
In Magyar Nemzet, Dávid Megyeri accuses Budapest Mayor Karácsony of mismanaging the capital and making it difficult for students to reach school. The pro-government columnist finds it complacent that Karácsony downplays traffic jams in Budapest that, according to Megyeri and other right-wing pundits, are the result of the Budapest leadership’s inability to govern the city. Megyeri dismisses as cynical Karácsony’s suggestion that people unhappy with delays should use public transportation rather than cars, as the mayor himself admitted turning up late to his own press conference because he arrived by bus. He hopes that Budapest voters will punish Mr Karácsony for ‘making commuting akin to a survival show’.