Tuition fees for Hungarians

Hungarian students have staged simultaneous nationwide street protests at government plans to introduce tuition fees of 2,000 forints (Pounds 11) a month from September this year.

About 140,000 full-time students will be hit by the fees, which form part of a package of austerity measures.

Members of the academic staff also turned out in force to support the students.

The plan has also caused government divisions. Immediately the fees were announced, Janos Csirik, deputy secretary of state at the ministry of culture and education, who held the higher education portfolio, resigned.

His successor, Zoltan Szabo is prepared to implement the fees but criticised the move as inappropriate when "throughout the world universities are increasingly offering free education".

He promised to do all in his power to introduce "compensatory measures" to offset the impact.

The move was not entirely unexpected. Two months ago, the government announced plans to introduce fees in autumn 1996. Mr Csirik said that bringing forward the date threw doubt on the finance ministry's decision-making process.

A number of members of parliament have also spoken against the fees, including Mrs Istvan Szoelloesi, a member of the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party, who has pledged not to support the government on the issue.

Two other ministers resigned over other aspects of the austerity package, which is the basis of negotiations over a major International Monetary Fund loan.