2024

Decision on the amount of the minimum wage for performing student work for the year 2024

In accordance with Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Act on Student Employment  (Official Gazette, no. 96/2018 and 16/2020), the Minister of Science and Education issued a Decision on the amount of the minimum wage for performing student work for the year 2024, which entered into force on January 1, 2024.

According to the decision, the minimum wage for performing student work per hour in 2024 is EUR 5.25 net. The minimum wage for performing student work per hour is calculated by dividing the amount of the minimum gross salary in the Republic of Croatia by 160. 

The Ministry of Science and Education signed the first 14 programme agreements with public scientific institutes and public polytechnics

The Ministry of Science and Education signed the first 14 programme agreements with public scientific institutes and public polytechnics.

The programme agreement is a new instrument of public financing of scientific institutions in the 100 percent amount of their budgets (all costs, including the financing of the salaries of all employees as well as the possible employment of new ones), which enables the institutions to independently manage scientific activity, but in accordance with national strategic goals and based on results.

The programme agreement determines the total four-year financing of public scientific institutes from the state budget, and consists of a basic, development and implementation budget component in accordance with the new Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education. 

The programme agreement enables public scientific institutes and higher education institutions to determine their goals and the means to achieve them, with related investments from the state budget and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The funding criteria of the programme agreement are based on national strategic guidelines and directly depend on the results and quality of scientific work.

The total four-year value of all programme agreement for the first 14 institutions that completed the negotiations is EUR 302,189,829.63, of which EUR 19,670,838.90 are additional funds provided for the institutions' research projects from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is an increase of more than 10 percent per year compared to 2023.

An overview of institutions that have signed programme agreements is available on the website of the Ministry of Science and Education.   

The Plan of Measures for Improving the Social Dimension of Higher Education for the Period 2023 – 2025 was adopted.

The National Group for improving the social dimension of higher education adopted on September 13, 2023, at its 6th electronic session, the Plan of Measures for Improving the Social Dimension of Higher Education for the Period 2023 – 2025.

The plan of measures is based on the European document Principles and Guidelines to Strengthen the Social Dimension in Higher Education in the EHEA, which was adopted as part of the Rome Communiqué in 2020.

It is based on the guidelines from the Report on the Implementation of National Plan for Enhancing the Social Dimension of Higher Education in the Republic of Croatia (2019 – 2021, Eurydice report entitled Towards Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education in Europe 2022, the National Education System Development Plan for the period up to 2027 and the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Education System Development Plan for the period until 2024, which were adopted in accordance with the Government Decision from March 2023 (OG, no. 33/2023). Prior to the adoption of the plan of measures, consultations were conducted with relevant stakeholders from the education and training system.

The plan of measures will serve as a recommendation to higher education institutions, institutions in education and training, state administration bodies and relevant civil society organisations for improving inclusion, equity and diversity, i.e. improving the social dimension of higher education in the Republic of Croatia.

2023

The National Plan for the Development of Education and Training until 2027

The National Plan for the Development of Education and Training until 2027 which was adopted in March 2023, within the specific objective No. 5. The objective of Increasing completion in higher education lists the following priorities such as creating a central system of records in higher education, including the establishment of a central record of diplomas and diploma supplements, improving the internal and external quality assurance system in higher education, increasing the relevance of study programmes for the labour market and society, increasing the level of internationalisation of higher education, improving student standards by further providing state scholarships for students of lower socioeconomic status, further provision of state scholarships for students in STEM study programmes and study programmes for occupations in high demand and modernisation of student accommodation infrastructure, including increasing accommodation capacity for disadvantaged students.

The reform of the higher education financing system continued. In July 2023, the Government Regulation on Programme Funding for Public Higher Education Institutions and Public Scientific Institutes in the Republic of Croatia entered into force. The Regulation refers to the subject and content of the programme agreement, the basic, development and implementation budget component of the programme agreement, the procedure for negotiating and concluding the programme agreement, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of its implementation.

The program agreement provides for multi-year financing of the basic, development and implementation budget components of a public higher education institution with funds from the state budget of the Republic of Croatia.

Quality assurance in higher education was improved by the implementation of the new Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Science. In May 2023, based on the Act, the following were adopted:

• the quality standards for evaluation in the procedures of initial accreditation of undergraduate, graduate, integrated, specialist, and short-term studies and
• the quality standards for evaluation in the procedures of initial accreditation of doctoral studies. 

To implement the Act on Higher Education and Scientific Activity, the following ordinances were adopted:

Ordinance on the Content and Use of Information Systems in Higher Education (OG, 36/23)

Ordinance on the Register of Higher Education Institutions (OG, 56/2023)

Ordinance on the Register of Study Programmes (OG, 56/2023)

Ordinance on the Conditions and Method of Exercising the Right of Full-Time Students to Subsidised Housing (OG, 68/2023)

Ordinance on the Conditions and Method of Exercising the Right to a State Scholarship in STEM Science Fields (OG, 70/2023)

Ordinance on the Form and Content of Higher Education Certificates, Diplomas and Diploma Supplements (OG, 08/74).

To implement the Act on Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications, the Ordinance on Fees for the Costs of Recognition and Evaluation Procedures, the Method of Distribution of Fees, Exemptions from Fees, and Other Matters of the Costs of Procedures was adopted.

2022

Ordinance on Conditions and Manner of Exercising the Right to a State Scholarship on the Basis of Socioeconomic Status

In order to grant state scholarships in the academic year 2021/2022, based on the implementation of the project Awarding scholarships for students of lower socioeconomic status in the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020, a new Ordinance on Conditions and Manner of Exercising the Right to State Scholarship on the Basis of Socioeconomic Status was published in the Official Gazette No. 106/2021
 

Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2022

Pursuant to Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Student Affairs Act (Official Gazette, No. 96/2018 and 16/2020), the Minister of Science and Education issues a Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2022, which came into force on January 1, 2022.

The Act on the Recognition and Assessment of Foreign Educational Qualifications entered into force

At the end of June 2022, the Act on the Recognition and Assessment of Foreign Educational Qualifications entered into force. This Act regulates the method and procedures for evaluating foreign educational qualifications for the purpose of accessing the labour market in the field of professions that are not included in the list of regulated professions in the Republic of Croatia, and are carried out in accordance with special regulations, as well as the method and procedures for recognizing foreign educational qualifications and periods of education for the purpose of continuing education. At the same time, the act also determines the competent bodies that carry out procedures for the evaluation and recognition of foreign educational qualifications.

The Act on Higher Education and Scientific Activity entered into force in October 2022 (OG 119/22). Its main goal is the modernisation of the system of higher education and scientific activity, strengthening institutional capacity and harmonisation with the adopted principles and core values of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), European Education Area (EEA) and the European Research Area (ERA).

The new Act on Higher Education and Scientific Activity comprises, inter alia, the following legal solutions:   

• setting down simple procedures for the admission of teachers, students and researchers;
• cancelling the overlapping and ambiguity with respect to normative mechanisms regulating the founding of new higher education institutions and the launching of new study programmes;
• laying down clear provisions on internal organisation of universities and research institutes;
• regulating the change of status of higher education institutions and research institutes;
• laying down the framework content and the procedure of concluding funding agreements as a new model of public funding of public higher education institutions and public research institutes.

The basis for adopting a new legislative framework in higher education and science is also set down in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 – 2026 of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. It envisages the modernisation of higher education and science which is to be put in place by improving the legislative framework that will provide a legal and funding framework for the organisational and functional integration of universities and research institutes as well as a dialogue on institutional goals, along with a new results-based funding framework: more influential publications, a greater number of competitive projects, stronger international co-operation, a larger number of projects carried out in partnership with the economic sector etc.

These measures will allow for comprehensive digital transformation of higher education as well as infrastructure investment aimed at meeting the goals of a green and digital Europe.

The new Act on the Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Science

The Act on the Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Science (OG 151/2022) entered into force in January 2023. The new Act introduces a centralised procedure of accreditation of new study programmes by the Agency for Science and Higher Education based on uniform criteria for both public and private higher education institutions as opposed to a previous legislation whereas the public universities had the authority to accredit the study programme internally.

A new requirement in the initial accreditation of a study programme is the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service on the compatibility of the new study programme with the labour market needs and the alignment with the standards of qualifications listed in the Croatian Registry of Qualifications. In order to improve the national database system of   higher education and enable a centralised enrolment system, the scope of the Central Applications’ Office at the Agency for Science and Higher Education has been expanded to include all public and private higher education institutions in the enrolment process for all level of education.

The Act also prescribes that a joint study of a Croatian higher education institution and a foreign higher education institution will be accredited by an EQAR-registered agency selected by HEIs. This kind of accreditation will be conducted by directly applying the European Approach for Quality Assurance of Joint Programme.

Another novelty is that requests for external quality assurance shall be submitted directly to the Agency and not to the Ministry which means that the final decision on accreditation is given by the Agency.