Conditions for the further development of the profession of the school pedagogue in Croatia

Stjepan Staničić

Summary:  Abstract: Starting from the past developments and analysis of the existing situation, the article discusses the basic conditions that should be fulfilled to enable a stable development of the profession of the school pedagogue in Croatia. The profession’s development so far is presented through its development characteristics in past decades. The different conceptions of pedagogues’ roles and expectations of them from the period are also presented, in addition to the milestones and documents that have characterized the development of the profession during this time. Then the analysis of the current state of affairs is carried out, studying the profession’s central elements. It transpires that the profession of the pedagogue is accompanied by many drawbacks, but it nevertheless remains crucial to the development of the contemporary school. Having examined the development and analysed the existing situation, the article discusses the basic conditions that should be met for the role of the pedagogue in educational institutions to become more recognizable and for the profession to become more respected and stronger. The article divides the conditions into three groups: (i) those that enable pedagogues to be well-prepared to take on their role in practice; (ii) those that enable pedagogues to do their school work independently and confidently, and (iii) those that enable the profession of the pedagogue to continue developing successfully, in the interest of both pedagogues themselves and the quality of the pedagogical process in educational institutions.