Cross-National Information and Communication Technology: Policies and Practices in Education, Second Edition, pp. 349–369 Copyright © 2009 by Information Age Publishing All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 349 NATIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES ON ICT IN EDUCATION Hungary Andrea Kárpáti STRUCTURE AND NATURE OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM 1 Compulsory schooling in Hungary lasts from 6 to 16 years of age. Legal regulations allow for schools to admit children at ages 5, 6, or 7. The 1996 Amendment to the Public Education Act raised the end of compulsory schooling to the age of 18, starting with those who entered primary school in the 1998/1999 school year. Consequently, nearly all children at school today are required to participate in school education until they are 16. The Hungarian public education system comprises three stages. Basic schooling is provided by primary schools that encompass eight grades. On completing this educational level, students enroll in secondary schools. Students can choose from three kinds of secondary school. The Au: Numbers representing time are expressed as numerals in APA. CHAPTER 20