“RESPECT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY: AS A FRAMEWORK AND SUBJECT OF EDUCATION IN THE LIGHT OF PRESENT CHALLENGES“
by Prof. Dr. Zoltán Rónay (Ph.D, Associate Professor) Research Group for Higher Education and Innovation, Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Abstract
Near the third decade of 21st century, we must face many challenges, which affect our everyday life. Some of them belong to the technological development, and others are in relation to social and natural demands. Among them, such phenomena also appear, which are well-known in the school system, but their appearance transforms resulting from the aforementioned challenges. In the first case, digitalisation can be mentioned, which can be both a blessing and a curse: it promotes the education but can endanger the human relationships through isolation, and mobbing, bullying. In the second case, it is reasonable to talk about migration, including developing the aptitude to recognize real and false dangers; facilitating the social integration of the disadvantaged migrant children (and their family) in the school, the tools which can help them, and also the inclusive community. The third case includes the problem of both aggression and black pedagogy. Aggression is not a new phenomenon, but with the help of digitalisation, it can appear in new forms. Digitalisation makes the way of mobbing and bullying easier not just within the school, but for strangers out of school. Moreover, migrant children can be a new target for these actions. Finally about an old pedagogical problem: the phenomenon of so-called black pedagogy is connecting either to the assessment or disciplining in school.
If these symptoms affect either directly or indirectly the life of any child, the school must handle them. Many of the researchers investigate the phenomena mentioned above from the education science’s point of view. Many of the researchers develop pedagogical tools to answer to these challenges. The presentation offers a new perspective. It gives an overview of this topic, presenting (the respect for) human dignity on the one hand as a framework in education and as the subject of teaching on the other hand. Human dignity as a framework is especially relevant to interpersonal relations within the school, but it is also important as a subject of teaching and education. Namely, it is necessary to teach the student to be an empowered citizen, to own the ability of legal knowledge and to respect the rights of others. But to secure it, it is essential to prepare the future teachers to know their rights and the barriers. The presentation proposes a method, which will be applied from next semester for the teachers training programme at Eötvös Loránd University.
Keywords: Fundamental rights, aggression in school, black pedagogy, digitalisation, social integration.
Biography
Zoltán Rónay was born in 1976 in Budapest, Hungary. He graduated in 1999 as a lawyer at Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Law. He is Ph.D. on law and political sciences (University of Szeged Doctoral School of Law and Political Sciences, 2017, the title of his dissertation: Individual and corporate liability within the governance of higher education institutions). Before getting his master degree, he did his practise at the Department of Constitutional Affairs in the Office of the President of the Hungarian Republic.
After his studies at the university, he began to work as a junior clerk in the Rector’s Office. Later he was appointed to the head of Department of Law, Administration, and Human Resources Management. At the same time, he was working as lawyer candidate besides the distinguished Hungarian lawyer and legal lecturer, the late Daisy Kiss (Dr. Kiss Daisy Law Office). After the obligatory practical work and passing specialist examination, he became solicitor and partner of Dr. Kiss.
In 2006 he successfully applied for secretary general of Eötvös Loránd University. He was re-elected in 2011. His appointment of secretary general was recalled in 2015 when the Parliament reorganised the governing system of Hungarian state higher education institutes on government’s motion. This amendment inaugurated the legal institute of the chancellor.
As an additional activity at the university, he is the university commissioner responsible for coordination of organization matters of integration between the Faculties in Szombathely and the Savaria University Centre of University of West Hungary and Eötvös Loránd University, during this project.
As a complementary activity, he is the President of Student Academic Appeals Committee. This appointment is pursuance of the work he carried on as secretary general ex officio. Except for this activity, his work in connection with the university leadership was ended in summer 2017.
In 2017 he successfully applied for a senior research fellow position at Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Education and Psychology, Institute of Education. He joined the Research Group for Higher Education and Innovation. In the beginning of 2018, he became an associate professor at the same place.
As a university lecturer he regularly has courses in Pedagogy BA (Legal background and control of education and school; Educational governance and regulation), Educational Science MA (Education, Economy and Law; Leadership of institutions of higher education), Community Coordination BA (Foundations of Jurisprudent), Sports manager and recreation and health promoter BSc (Elementary Political Knowledge). He is a supervisor in Education Doctoral Programme. Apart from these regular courses, he has founded several optional courses: Liability of university executives; The legal and ethical frameworks of the teaching profession and Legal Frameworks of Education Research in Education Doctoral Programme. He elaborated the following courses in Human Resources BSc: Elementary knowledge about State and Law; Economic Law; Labour Law I-II.
He is a co-founder of the Education Management Specialisation of Educational Science MA. He is officially responsible for the following courses: Educational governance and regulation; Leadership of institutions of higher education; Strategic Management in Higher Education; Operation and Management of (Educational) Organisations; Internship; as well as for all the courses founded and elaborated by him.
His educational activity is not unprecedented. After his master degree, he instantly started to teach at Eötvös Loránd University. He was a part-time lecturer at Department of Civil Process Law and Department of Constitutional Law and in several programmes of the following courses: Civil process law, Civil process Law in connection with real properties at Institute for Postgraduate Legal Studies. Because of the amount of his work as secretary general, he was forced to abandon these activities. He has been committed to supporting talents. He has led a civil law course in Bibó István College since 2005. His student won 2nd prize in the 27. National Conference of Scientific Students’ Associations (“OTDK”) in the section of law and politics.
His scientific interest ranges over the law and legal history of education; related to this fields the labour law, administrative law and civil procedure in education. His main research field is the responsibility and liability in operation of higher education. Apart from these fields he handles the law in teacher’s training and education, especially with teaching and developing legal knowledge in teachers training.
He regularly publishes. His monography (working title is Legality and Ethics during the Teacher’s career) is under editing.
He is organiser and participant of several scientific sessions.
He organised the Civil Procedure of 21st century Conference and The electronic payment order and the notarial function; both for the Hungarian Lawyers’ Association Section for Civil Process Law.
He gave presentations in several scientific programmes:
- About the secretary generals (Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Education and Psychology, Higher Education Management Workshop) – English title of presentation: The role of secretary general in the leadership of higher education institutes;
- Autonomy in public (constitutional) law science (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Legal Studies) – English title of presentation: The position of Autonomy of Higher Education in Public Law;
- Hungarian Higher Education Conference 2017 (Corvinus University Budapest, Center for International Higher Education Studies) – English title of presentation: Sector’s control and management in light of managerial responsibility;
- The 16th Conference on Educational Assessment – CEA 2018, Szeged, Hungary (The Institute of Education, the Doctoral School of Education at the University of Szeged, the MTA-SZTE Research Group on The Development of Competencies and the Educational and Psychological Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Szeged) – English title of presentation: The pedagogical idea of pupils’ assessment in the light of Act on Public Education;
- Education – Economy – Society: Hungarian Conference on Educational Research – HuCER 2018, Székesfehérvár, Hungary (HERA – Hungarian Educational Research Association) – English title of presentation: Wondering, what the consistory is;
- Education in Modern Society: XVI Annual International BCES Conference (Bulgarian Comparative Education Society) – Title of presentation: Centralizations and Autonomies: The Delimitation of Education by the Hungarian Government.
He is a member of Scientific Committee of the Conference of 2nd Danube Conference for Higher Education Management: In search of excellence in higher education (Corvinus University of Budapest and Ulm University), which planned date is late November in 2018.
Several professional bodies and projects count on his expertise. As secretary general, he was the president of Hungarian Rectors’ Conference Collegium of Secretary Generals (Committee of Secretary Generals and Office Heads) between 2010 and 2015. As an additional professional public activity, he was a permanent guest on Round-table for Higher Education, as well as a delegate of Hungarian Rectors’ Conference on Round-table for Higher Education Expert Team for Students’ Responsibility in 2013. From 2007 he had been the secretary of Hungarian Lawyers’ Association Section for Civil Process Law for five years. Today he is a member of Platform for Training in Economic Science, previous he was an expert team member of a project called „Reorganization of training in economic science” and co-editor of working paper titled “Possible directions of reorganization of training in economic science”.
He is the project manager for the project “Anxiety versus ego strength – Investigating the ingredients of perceived safety: development of intervention tools and programmes for different actors and institutions functional at various segments of social safety”, which has just won with his partial management almost 800.000,- Euros subsidy from the Hungarian State.
He is member of HERA – Hungarian Educational Research Association as well as Hungarian Academy of Sciences Public Body IX. Section of Economics and Law Committee on Legal and Political Sciences.
He speaks and publishes – apart from his native Hungarian language – in English and German.
More information on the internet:
http://www.ppk.elte.hu/munkatarsak/Ronay_Zoltan
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zoltan_Ronay