Croatia

EDUCATION OVERVIEW

• Administration and Finance
• Size
• Structure
• Private and Public Education
• Academic Year
• Teacher Education

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

Administrative functions in education are distributed partly at the national level, partly at the regional level, and partly at schools.  Because counties and districts in Croatia are relatively small administrative units, the majority of responsibility for educational administration and policy development takes place at the national level.  The Ministry of Education and Sports is responsible for pre-primary, primary, and secondary education, while the Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for higher education.

 

State schools are financed by the central educational administration, and partly by the regional administration. Private schools are financed by those who establish them. Private schools which follow the standards of State schools (i.e., private schools with public rights) are subsidized by the central authorities.

 

SIZE   

Approximately 786,439 students are enrolled at all levels of education.

 

STRUCTURE

Pre-school education, though non-compulsory, is a functional part of the education system and, at the same time, constitutes an integral part of the system of social care for children.  In this way, pre-school education also constitutes a part of basic education. 

 

Compulsory elementary education begins at age seven and continues to age 15.  Secondary education lasts three to four years and is offered at comprehensive schools, vocational schools, and schools of the arts. Upon completion of secondary education, students may enroll in universities and colleges.  Education at the higher level is two to three years in duration at postsecondary non-university institutions (visa skola, visoka skola) and four to six years at universities. Postgraduate studies leading to master’s, specialist, and doctoral degrees is two to six years in duration. Education from the secondary level through doctoral level is arranged in terms of “Levels.”

 

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC EDUCATION

Private Education has been recently introduced and it exists at all levels except at the level of elementary education. There are several secondary and postsecondary private institutions and one private university; they are all self-financing establishments.

 

ACADEMIC YEAR

In elementary and secondary schools, the academic year runs from September to June in two semesters.

 

TEACHER EDUCATION

Elementary school teachers (grades I – IV) are trained in two-year teacher training programmes offered at postsecondary institutions or in four-year diploma programmes at teacher training colleges. Subject teachers (grades V – VIII), are trained in four-year diploma programmes in the relevant university faculty, as are secondary school teachers. All teachers are required to take a professional teacher’s examination.