Contemporary reform trends in the Croatian education system

Dr. Milan Matijević

Summary:  Ever since the Republic of Croatia achieved independence, there have been no significant changes in the education system. The efforts of some education ministers to reform compulsory education or parts of the school system have not borne fruit because no agreement could be reached within the highest legislative body of the state (Parliament). The only visible changes have been those made in the higher education system, with the introduction in 2005 of what is known as the Bologna model of study. Compulsory education still lasts only eight years, and this type of schooling, just as has been the case in the last 50 years, is still called basic education. Ministers of education have attempted to initiate various projects with a view to introducing internal changes in education, but due to different assessments of the validity of these changes, or due to disagreements concerning the choice of change strategies, the expected results have not seen the light of day.