Hungarian students protest education cuts in Budapest

Jeff Brosseau of the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers' Federation says work to rule is one of the few options teachers have to protest the government.

 BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Thousands of Hungarian students rallied on Monday, piling pressure on the government to give up plans for cuts in state financing to higher education.

The protesters marched through central Budapest to the public radio station which broadcast a summary of demands from the students who sang the national anthem in the rain outside.

This was the third big rally against education reform plans since the government decided on sharp cuts in higher education earlier this month.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who started his political carrier as a student leader in the 1980s, promised on Saturday to ensure free education for those who meet certain requirements. However, he gave no details of the plans, which the government will discuss on Wednesday.