2025
Investments in Education as a Strategic Priority
In the past period, the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth has continued with the allocation of financial resources under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), i.e., through the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The third component of the NRRP, "Education, Science, and Research" encompasses five reforms and nine investments, aiming to develop a high-quality education system at all levels of education, promote scientific excellence, and contribute to innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable economic development.
Education is a strategic priority, and an investment cycle worth 2.7 billion euros is currently underway, with investments in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, universities, and scientific institutes.
Currently, a public call worth 1.3 billion euros is open for the construction, reconstruction, and equipping of primary schools for the needs of single-shift work and whole-day school. The goal of the investment is to enable all students to have single-shift classes by the 2027/2028 school year, as well as to introduce whole-day schooling and improve school capacities.
In February 2025, 12 contracts for the construction, reconstruction, and equipping of primary schools were awarded, amounting to 83.3 million euros, of which 60.4 million euros are non-repayable grants. It is expected that the total value of the call will be contracted by the end of the year.
For the year 2025, an additional 144 million euros are planned to improve kitchens and dining rooms in schools already operating in a single shift.
Adoption of the Protocol on Entry and Exit Control in Educational Institutions
In January 2025, the Protocol on Entry and Exit Control in Educational Institutions was adopted to ensure greater security in schools (primary and secondary schools, as well as student dormitories), protect their students and staff, and prevent potential high-risk situations. Educational institutions are required to adjust their internal documents, such as house rules and internal crisis protocols, to align with the provisions of this Protocol.
Decision on the Financing of Projects within Extracurricular Activities for Primary and Secondary Schools and Student Dormitories in the 2024/2025 School Year
This Decision approves a total of 599,571.57 euros for financing projects within extracurricular activities for primary and secondary schools, as well as student dormitories in the school year 2024/2025. The list of approved projects and institutions to which the funds are allocated is an integral part of this Decision.
Guidelines for Implementing the Curriculum of Cross-curricular Subjects
In February 2025, the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth published guidelines for implementing the curriculum of seven cross-curricular subjects as part of the Experimental Program "Primary School as a Whole-Day School – A Balanced, Fair, Efficient, and Sustainable Education System." The subjects include: Personal and Social Development, Health, Civic Education, Sustainable Development, Entrepreneurship, Learning How to Learn, and the Use of Information and Communication Technology.
These guidelines assist teachers in connecting subject areas with interdisciplinary topics, foster collaboration among educators, and support the development of key competencies for students. They also facilitate the integration of these topics into everyday teaching. The guidelines provide concrete examples and methods to meet educational expectations, as well as flexible models tailored to the specific needs of individual schools.
2024
Guidelines for the implementation of the curriculum for the subjects Society and Community, Practical Skills and Natural history
In July 2024, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth published Guidelines for the implementation of the curriculum of the subject Society and Community, Guidelines for the implementation of the curriculum of the subject Practical skills, and Guidelines for the implementation of the curriculum of the subject Natural history, as part of the experimental program Primary school as a whole-day school – A balanced, fair, efficient and sustainable education system.
Ordinance on teaching assistants and professional communication mediators
In July 2024, the Ordinance on teaching assistants and professional communication intermediaries was adopted and entered into force. The Ordinance regulates the manner and content of the training and performance of teaching assistants and professional communication mediators, as well as other issues important for providing support during the educational process. The aim of the support of teaching assistants and professional communication mediators is to equalize the opportunities of pupils in order to ensure appropriate upbringing and education with a tendency towards independence and participation of pupils in the school environment.
Special teaching programmes for pupils with developmental disabilities
In April 2024, two Decisions on special education programs for pupils with developmental disabilities entered into force:
Decision on the adoption of the Special education programme for primary and secondary schools for pupils with developmental disabilities, which will be gradually implemented from the 2024/2025 school year. An integral part of the decision is the Special education programme for primary and secondary schools for pupils with developmental disabilities. This programme transitions to a competency system and pupil achievements (learning outcomes) focused on abilities, developmental characteristics, and pupils' other strengths. The goal is to enable pupils with developmental disabilities to acquire knowledge, develop abilities and skills, and form the attitudes necessary for future life and work and/or continued education. Additionally, the goal is to enable them to live more independently daily and to participate more actively in their immediate social environment.
Decision on the adoption of the Special education programme for the acquisition of competences in the activities of everyday life and work for pupils with developmental disabilities and the Special education programme for the acquisition of competences in the activities of everyday life and work for pupils with an autism spectrum disorder for elementary school. An integral part of the Decision is the Special education programme for acquiring competences in activities of everyday life and work for pupils with developmental disabilities and the Special education programme for acquiring competences in activities of everyday life and work for pupils with autism spectrum disorder for elementary school.
Provision of school meals for children at risk of poverty
“Provision of school meals for children at risk of poverty“ is a project financed by the European Union – The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), and the period of its implementation is from September 4, 2023 to December 22, 2023, i.e. the first semester of the 2023/2024 school year. The purpose of the Project is to provide regular free and healthy meals for primary school students whose families are beneficiaries of child allowance, to reduce the social exclusion of socially vulnerable groups, to reduce the risk of poverty, to raise awareness of the problem of nutritional poverty and excessive food waste.
The Act on Amendments to the Primary and Secondary School Education Act
In January 2024, new amendments came into force. The Act on Amendments to the Primary and Secondary School Education Act (OG 156/ 2023). The act stipulates that an educational institution can, with the prior consent of the Ministry, enter into a fixed-term employment contract with an employee for the purpose of implementing an experimental programme. The contract can be for the duration of the whole-day school experimental programme, but not longer than six years. Also, Article 111 is amended in such a way that the Republic of Croatia, as a full member of the European Union, participates in the management and work of European schools and posts educational staff to European schools.
Decision on the allocation of funds for equipping secondary school libraries with compulsory reading and professional literature in 2023
In October 2023, the Ministry of Science and Education issued a Decision on the allocation of funds for equipping secondary school libraries with compulsory reading and professional literature in 2023. The criterion for the distribution of available financial resources is the number of students in all secondary schools that are financed from the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia.
2023
The National Plan for the Development of Education and Training until 2027 and The Whole-Day School Model (WDS)
The National Plan for the Development of Education and Training until 2027 which was adopted in March 2023, defines in more detail the implementation of the strategic goal and priority areas of public policies for the education sector from the National Development Strategy 2030.
Measures at the level of the specific objective No. 2. The objective of Improving the educational outcomes of students in the primary and general secondary education system is aimed at infrastructural and organisational adaptation of the system and preparation of schools for the introduction of the whole-day school, enrichment and extension of the total duration of the school day, improvement of the curriculum and teaching practices, improvement of the working conditions of teachers and expert associates that encourage better learning outcomes and greater efficiency and improvement of professional development.
The Whole-Day School Model (WDS) aims to extend the period of learning and teaching and thus the acquisition of key competences for lifelong learning. As part of the WDS, the number of teaching hours in key literacies is increased, while support, assisted, and enriched learning is systematised. In the first step, the whole-day primary school in Croatia is being introduced into the education system in the form of an Experimental Programme, the implementation of which will begin in the 2023/2024 school year.
Through experimental implementation, new subjects are introduced into the curriculum: Science, Society and Community, Practical Skills, Information and Digital Competences and World and I. Experimental curricula and associated educational outcomes will be used for the new subjects. Experimental curricula, as well as guidelines for teachers for the implementation of new subjects in primary school, were published in May and July 2023.
Based on the Public call for primary schools to submit applications for participation in the Experimental Programme, the Ministry of Science and Education selected 62 primary schools which will participate in the Experimental Programme "Primary School as a Whole-Day School – balanced, fair, efficient and sustainable education system".