Judit Lannert, Hungary's Minister of Education and Child Affairs, issued an apology to those offended by a football analogy she used in a past closed-door remark. At the same time she reiterated her professional position that an excessive focus on results in schools and uncritical use of artificial intelligence (AI) present risks to teaching and learning processes.
Origin of the controversy: remarks at a CEU forum last December
The controversy stems from a statement Lannert made at a Central European University (CEU) forum last December. Reports on the speech say she mocked reactions of some Hungarian football supporters—specifically those who cried when the national team failed to advance from a World Cup play-off. The comment drew responses including from Dömötör Csaba, Member of the European Parliament for Fidesz, who argued that the issue is not whether the education minister likes football but that such insensitive remarks indicate a lack of empathy.
Lannert’s explanation and professional argument
In her statement Lannert said the opposition “mines” her past remarks for details they can misrepresent. She recalled that as an education researcher she has warned repeatedly about the educational risks of AI. Her core point is that if a school system measures success primarily by results—by how much information a student can reproduce—students will turn to AI as a tool: the teacher generates the test with AI, the student completes it with AI, and the actual processes of thinking and learning are sidelined.
For this reason Lannert argued that education should prioritise the processes of learning and the joy of creating rather than solely outcomes. She said she still stands by that professional conclusion.
Admission and apology over the football analogy
Regarding the football analogy, Lannert admitted she phrased it poorly. “In the closed conversation the football analogy I used was indeed not fortunate, because the desire to win in football and in school are not the same,” she wrote, adding she understands how a short, isolated excerpt can be offensive. “I apologise to any compatriot whom this old remark of mine hurt.”
Personal notes and pedagogical parallels
Lannert emphasised that football is not foreign to her life—she noted her husband is a big fan—and that she often uses football analogies when discussing education. She described early selection as harmful in both sport and education because it can filter out late bloomers and thereby lose potential talent. She also drew a parallel between a successful team coach and a good teacher: a good coach designs training based on data and analysis of on-field events, just as a good teacher can be most successful by analysing classroom processes.
Call for context and claims of manipulated recordings
Lannert asked those who want to understand her remarks to consider the full context rather than isolated clips, and pointed readers to blog posts and the full recording she linked in her comments. She said apologising is not a problem for her, but finds it unacceptable that someone would be labelled “traitor” over a poorly used analogy from years ago.
She also alleged that some Fidesz and KDNP politicians who criticised her relied on a manipulated recording, and she responded at length in a public post addressing the attacks and sharing her views on teachers and the state of education.
The broader point: focus on children’s future
Lannert argued that Hungary’s main problem is not her communication style but that children are left to fend for themselves and do not receive enough support in a rapidly changing world. In her statement she sharply criticised a roughly sixteen-year period, saying it had “trampled education into the ground, ruined child protection, looted the state treasury.” She added that her mandate concerns education and children’s issues, and that she is primarily interested in the future of children.
Lannert expanded on these points and defended herself against political attacks in a longer public post that addressed the surrounding debate in more detail.
