Why Digital Transformation Is Needed in Minority Language Education

Gerencsér Balázs Szabolcs: Why Digital Transformation Is Needed in Minority Language Education.
HUNGARIAN YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND EUROPEAN LAW, 13 (1). pp. 345-358. ISSN 2666-2701 (2025)

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Szerző azonosítók:

Név	ORCID	MTMT szerző azonosító
Gerencsér Balázs Szabolcs	0000-0002-7469-1313	10022644

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This paper examines why digital transformation is essential for the future of minority language education, with a particular focus on Hungary and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, they offer both a necessary and strategic opportunity to support linguistic diversity – especially in contexts where minority languages face institutional neglect, teacher shortages, and assimilation. The paper argues that digitalization can help bridge educational gaps by providing flexible, inclusive, and modern pedagogical tools, including digital content and online platforms tailored to minority needs. However, the Charter’s monitoring largely overlooks the digital sphere in education, focusing instead on media. In Hungary, although legal frameworks support minority language education, implementation remains uneven, and digital technologies are underutilized. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital education, revealing infrastructural and pedagogical shortcomings, particularly affecting disadvantaged groups. Despite improvements, such as broadband expansion and e-learning platforms, minority language content and teachers’ digital skills remain insufficient. The paper concludes that while digital tools can greatly enhance language transmission and access, they must be integrated within long-term strategies, complemented with financial and methodological support, and sensitivity to community needs. Crucially, education must maintain its human core – digital solutions should complement, not replace, personal interaction, which remains vital in both learning and identity formation. Thus, digital transformation is not just a technical upgrade but a culturally and socially grounded imperative in sustaining Hungary’s minority languages.

Folyóirat címe:

HUNGARIAN YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND EUROPEAN LAW

Megjelenés éve:

2025

Kötet:

Szám:

Oldalak:

pp. 345-358

ISSN:

2666-2701

Intézmény:

Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem