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Introduction
The out-of-family institutional education of preschool age children in the Republic of Croatia has a long tradition. It includes the intentions and efforts of the social welfare system to compensate the shortcomings of the environment to children growing under unfavorable circumstances and to provide child keeping while the parents are at work. Although the preschool practice grew out its compensational role, the preschool education system remained for long in the sphere of the social welfare. The concept of the preschool education system changed substantially after it was integrated into the education and school system.
The war period caused many problems in this system and required extreme efforts of the displaced employees for their own survival and care for development and education of the displaced children. The post war period is characteristic by the gradual recovery and revitalization of the destroyed kindergartens in the war zones, and adjustment and harmonization with the new legislation.
Every program for the preschool age children in the Republic of Croatia should:
According to these documents, the preschool education and care for the preschool age children is a part of the education system and include programs of education, health care, nutrition, and social welfare. The preschool education is organized and implemented for children aged from six months until the age for school. Its realization is in accord with the developmental properties and needs of children and the social, cultural, religious, and other needs of the family.
The preschool programs in the Republic of Croatia may be implemented in kindergartens founded by the local administration units (county, town, district), the Republic of Croatia, religious communities, primary schools, other local legal (trade companies, citizen associations, cultural institutions, sport institutions, health institutions) and physical entities.
The preschool programs in the Republic of Croatia are determined by the humanistic-developmental concept of the out-of-family education of preschool children, the idea of humanism, and the contemporary scientific cognition on characteristics and regularities of the early childhood development. It is based on the transactional-transformational approach and its starting point is the child and the educator as the as the active creators and implementers of the prescribed contents. The choice of the content is subject primarily to the function of development of the child's capabilities and individuality rather than the acquisition of knowledge. The knowledge is considered in such a program as something constructed and reconstructed by the participants in the education process. In the modern approach to the preschool education, such program is known as the humanistically oriented curriculum.
In the sense of organization, the concept promotes the openness of the preschool education system to the needs of the environment (different types, forms, and programs of work), adjustability of the education process to the needs, capacities and interests of the child (individualized approach), openness toward parents and the community, and effectuation of the parental right to participate in the organized education of the child. With regard to the creation of goals and tasks of programs, it is recommended to apply those producing influence on all aspects of the child's development, respectful of the child's unique personality, and open to the needs of the family.
The preschool programs are defined in the national-level documents (Proposal on the Concept of Development of the Pre-School Education, 1991, and the Program Orientation of Education of the Pre-School Children, 1991), and annual curricula of kindergartens and other institutions involved in the implementation. They contain goals, tasks, and strategies of implementation of the preschool program designed for a particular pedagogic year, and they are the starting point for the selection of actual contents of work on the single education group level, or any shorter program. The program implementers evaluate the programs in their annual reports.
The documents ruling the preschool education in Croatia made possible the quality changes in the creation of the preschool programs, aiming at the democratization and pluralism in the systematic stimulation of the early childhood development and the humanistic atmosphere in kindergartens.
Types of the pre-school programs in the Republic of Croatia
The basic primary program, or the regular and scheduled programs of care, education, health protection, nutrition, and social welfare for the preschool age children are adjusted to the developmental needs of children and their capacities and abilities. This program includes children at the age from the first year of life until the age for school, and the program is also open for children at the age of six months.
The program is conducted on the daily basis, most usually
all day, in two fundamental organizational forms: day care nursery )
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(for children old from six months to three years) and kindergartens
(for children at age of three until the school age). The goals and the tasks of this
program are focused on the stimulation and development of all actual and potential
capacities of the child (physical, intellectual, socio-economic, expressive) with emphasis
on the communication and integration components. The comprehensiveness of the approach is
the basic characteristic of the program.
It enables the integration of children with developmental difficulties for the sake of their socialization and stimulation of the comprehensive development. Thus, we have special programs for children with developmental difficulties. Special attention is paid to the gifted and talented children by respecting the principle of individualization at the program level.
In the war and post war times, in the last seven year, the regular program applied with war affected children (children in the kindergartens in war zones, displaced and refugee children, the children of the Homeland War defenders) was amended with additional specific contents and techniques of work in the sphere of stress, trauma, and recovery as a part of the psychosocial programs designed for children, their parents, and educators.
Further, the regular programs are permanently enriched and expanded with sport, music, foreign languages, drama, and art related contents, in two ways:
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intensifies during the child's all-day or half-day stay in the kindergarten;Since 1992, more attention has been attached to the
linguistic programs. The Institute for Enhancement of Education elaborated an expert
concept of the program of early learning of four foreign languages (English, German,
Italian, and French). The Institute has been systematically enhancing and monitoring the
outcomes in the implementation of the concept. The enrichments of the kindergarten
curriculum are the so-called eco-programs, programs for an early prevention of addiction,
etc. In the recent years, the primary curriculum in some kindergartens has been expanded
to include some 
special programs applied with smaller groups of children, like the
Montessori method, Head Start Program, elements of the Reggio Emilia program, or elements
of the Zimmer's Situation Approach.
Some national communities have kindergartens with the basic program conducted in the language of the minority (Czech kindergarten, Italian kindergarten, Hungarian kindergarten, etc) and enriched with elements of the national culture. The largest groups are the Italian minority groups (35 in the Istria County) and the Czech minority groups in the Bjelovar-Bilogora County (6 groups). For the Roma community children there are two groups working in the Children's Center of Cakovec, and in Zagreb, the Roma Union gathers together some 50 children from 2 to 15 years old (not attending school) and they have a playroom serving as the preparation for school. Upon the reintegration of the Croatian Danubian Region (Eastern Slavonia), the work has been set up in one Serb minority kindergarten in Vukovar and in two groups in frames of the Croatian kindergarten.
The emerging alternative programs are important for the Croatian preschool practice for these programs contribute to the materialization of the right to the private initiative regarding the implementation of the preschool curricula. These programs, developed in other countries, were introduced to the Croatian practice as comprehensive and closed models. In Croatia, the most present are Waldorf kindergartens and Montessori kindergartens operating by the Montessori method.
The Pre-Primary School program for the preschool age children in the year before going to school was worked out and implemented in practice back in the seventies with intention to provide every child with the minimum of an organized out-of-family education (most usually 150 hours a year). In this sense, it was a compensational program. The Law on Pre-School Education named this program Pre-School or Pre-Primary School and elevated it to the level of the public need, thus obliging the Government to ensure conditions for its implementation.
The Pre-Primary School is a part of the education system of the Republic of Croatia designed for children in the year before going to the primary school. It is compulsory for all children not included in the basic kindergarten program. The term compulsory implies both the obligation of the education system in the sense of organization of the Pre-Primary School, and the obligation of parents to include the child into the work of the educational work of the Pre-Primary School in the year before the child goes to school. Wherever there is no kindergarten the obligation is on the primary school. The aim of the Pre-Primary School to provide the child in the year before going to school with the environment where the child can develop all personal potential (capacities, capabilities), satisfy all actual needs and interests, and thus acquire knowledge, skills, and habits that enable the child to adjust successfully to the new conditions of life, development, and growth that the child is about to face in the primary school. The program lasts approximately 150 hours a year.
The shorter programs are all those programs dedicated to the preschool age children and lasting one to two hours, everyday or several times a week, and running continuously. Under the term shorter program we understand the programs with different goals and contents of work. They are implemented outside the regular all-day or half-day kindergarten programs respectively in other institutions as defined by the law. In kindergartens, these programs are usually maintained in the afternoons, and they are intended for children who are not beneficiaries of the primary kindergarten program. In other institutions such as libraries, homes of culture, sport centers, etc, these programs are meant for all children, regardless of their being beneficiaries of the primary kindergarten program or not.
The goals and tasks of the shorter programs are focused on the stimulation of all aspects of the child's development (playrooms) or development of some child's capacities within a specific aspect of development (the so-called specialized programs) called for example, music workshop, talk-shop, fine art workshop, rhythmic dance workshop, folklore dancing, etc. In the recent years, the private enterprise initiative was intensive in organizing and implementing the specialized shorter programs, especially those oriented toward acquiring certain knowledge and skills (foreign language learning, children's choruses, dancing, etc).
In Croatia, during the war and the post war times, the displaced kindergartens sustained and continued their work in exile, having organized playrooms primarily with psychosocial characteristics in camps and settlements for the displaced people.
Most recently, the initiative of the NGO "Our Children
Association" in the war affected areas resulted in the organized programs for
children and parents, and a number of the so-called "children's corners" )
)
was
opened. A kindergarten as the children's house
A kindergarten as the children's house means creating such an environment where all children will be respected as personalities, where they will be happy, satisfied and joyful, challenged to learn in the way appropriate for their age, model of learning, and development. Our theory and vision of how the children learn and develop sure does influence the way we teach children and our expectation about the role of an educator in this process is in connection with that.
Many researches prove that important is the belief of each educator that every child can progress and learn. They also prove that in accord with the educator's expectations the child can grow and develop better and more, which indicates how delicate and responsible the work of educators is. Therefore, the role has been discussed of the educator as a reflexive practitioner, the one who researches and explores and changes his/her own practice accordingly to the child's development, and with intention to make the kindergarten a true children's house. The practice has been researched and elaborated in many different kindergartens in Croatia.
We started our joint work in kindergartens by introducing the changes to the spatial arrangement or the group room arrangement. We assumed that such changes would alter the ambiance in the work group most effectively, and change what we called the tradition of practice in the kindergarten. Our joint conclusion was that in a good stimulating atmosphere such achievements of children were made possible that we could not have even supposed. We enabled the child to choose from those materials and activities that suited the child best and for which the child was capable and inclined to. We found out that the Bruner's postulate about the unpredictable capabilities of children was true. We were surprised, for example, after having observed the children closely, that some children in the day care nurseries knew all letters of the alphabet. Having created the environment supportive of their achievements, without constraint or force or direct teaching, already then some children were able to recognize their names written on wardrobes, or chairs, or elsewhere. In the kindergarten groups, especially the older groups, we managed in the same manner to enable the children learn the basics of reading and writing skills, compose their own crosswords, find the information they were looking for in the encyclopedia, etc. Having created the stimulating environment for story telling and story making, the children were able to invent their own stories and some of them were also able to write them down. Other groups were engaged in mathematical games and achieved results and scores characteristic for the primary school age children.
How to achieve such a stimulating atmosphere and environment in an educational group, kindergarten, is hard to explain because there are no precise instructions for such an achievement, there are no recipes. It depends on many factors. However, we believe that the educator is the most important factor and that the stimulating environment is mostly an outcome of the educator's work, his/her approach toward children. When we say approach toward the children we mean thereby primarily the true respect and appreciation of the child's personality, freedom of choice of materials, space, and peers, and allowing and developing the child's independence and freedom. The changed role of the educator can be simply illustrated with these words: from an educator who used to set up everything in advance and the children followed his/her choice and interests, to an educator who follows, monitors, and develops the interests of children and satisfies their basic needs.
Enrollment of children in the preschool programs in the Republic of Croatia
According to the data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health there were 363.539 children of the age from birth to the age for school in Croatia in 1995. According to the data from the State Institute of Statistics, in the school year 1995/96 there were 80.380 children between one year old and the age for school enrolled in 902 preschool institutions, which means that the preschool programs in these institutions covered some 30 percent of children.
From the data of the State Institute of Statistics it is visible that there were some quality changes regarding the organization and realization of the preschool programs in the Republic of Croatia in the past six years, as follows1.
From 1991 until 1996 the number of preschool institutions varied in the range between 930 (in 1990/91) and 763 (1991/92). The rapid fall of the number of preschool institutions in just one-year time was caused by the war activities. In the following years it went up (1992/93) and gradually neared the pre-war figures – 902 in 1995/96. in 1997/98, the number was 980, out of which 52 were private and 42 were religious kindergartens.
In regard to the founders of the preschool institutions, the changes in the period from 1991 until 1996 apply to the increased number of founders and the varying number of kindergartens founded by individual institutions. While only the state owned kindergartens were registered in 1990/91 (independent, attached to primary schools and corporations), in 1995/96 there are also data about the private and religious kindergartens. The largest number of private kindergartens is in Istria County (20). An obvious tendency is the increased number of kindergartens set up by initiative of the civil and legal entities and religious communities and the lower number of kindergartens attached to primary schools. In the total number of the preschool institutions, the number of privately owned preschool institutions and religious kindergartens is still negligibly low (5,8%).
Despite the rise up back to pre-war number of the preschool institutions and employees, and the number of children enrolled in the institutions from 1990/91 until 1995/96, the number of children enlisted but not enrolled in any institutions has increased (1990/91 – 3.633 children, 1995/96 – 6.404 children). The number of enlisted children not enrolled in any preschool institution indicates the need for spreading of the network of institutions and increasing the enrollment of children in the complete, all-day program. In the period between 1990/91 and 1995/96, the number of three years old children enrolled in the preschool institution programs fell from 20% (1990/91) down to 17,7% (1995/96). At the same time, the enrollment rate of five years old children increased from 37,8% to 40,3%. The enrollment rate of children between three and five years old remained stable (approx. 42%). As to the data from the Ministry of Education and Sports and the State Institute of Statistics, the total enrollment in the early childhood development programs of the official age group of 3-5 years old, at the national level, was 43,3% in 1998 (Appendix-Table 1).
The number of children spending more than 8 hours a day in the preschool institution has decreased (from 80 percent of the total number of the enrolled during 1990/91 to 74,5 percent during 1995/96). The number of children spending between six and eight hours in the preschool institution has increased (from 8,8 percent in 1990/91 to 13 percent in 1995/96). An increase of almost 80 percent was recorded for the children spending four hours or less in the preschool institution (from 0,9 percent to 1,6 percent). The percent of children spending 4 to 6 hours in the kindergarten has been steady, more or less. Pre-primary school pupils in the museum
The number of educators in the preschool institutions in 1995/96 reached the pre-war figures (1990/91 – 5.619, and in 1995/96 it was 5.331). The number of children per one educator also indicates the tendency of the return to the pre-war situation (1990/91 – 16 children on one educator, and in 1995/96 – 15 children).
According to the data about the participation in the costs of accommodation of the preschool children in the institution for the year 1995/96, the parents have paid for the preschool institution for 97 percent of all children. One fourth of them are those paying up to 50 percent of the price and the others pay more than that, up to the full amount of the program price.
The data about the implementation of the Pre-Primary School (the so-called play-school) speak of the fact that between 1990/91 and 1991/92 the numbers have halved of the groups applying the program and of the children and employees included in the program. The constant rise of the number of groups, children and employees reached the two thirds of the pre-war figures in 1995/96 (470 groups, 10.588 children, and 285 employees).
The quantitative data about the implementation of the
so-called shorter programs were not provided in the official materials issued by the State
Institute of Statistics. It may be assumed that the reason to it is the inexistence of the
program implementation and control network. Therefore, the information about approximately
30 percent of the preschool children included in the programs does not present the real
picture because one may assume that a part of the 70 percent of the children not enrolled
probably use shorter programs. )
Percent of the first grade primary school pupils who attended some form of the organized early childhood development program
As explained earlier in the part about types of programs implemented in the Republic of Croatia, special attention is paid to the enrollment i.e. inclusion of children under school obligation in the year before school. If the children are not covered by the basic program, they are under obligation and should enroll in the Pre-Primary School program.
According to the available data from the Ministry of Education and Sports and the State Institute of Statistics the rate of the first grade pupils in primary schools who attended any form of the organized early childhood development program in 1998, on the national level, was 83,4%. Firstly, these data apply to the Pre-Primary School program and the basic regular program. It is important to point out that the percent rate of the enrollment of children in the developmental program is equal both in urban and rural communities (83,4%), which speaks about the organization of kindergarten programs in different settings. The highest enrollment rate (97%), as is it visible in the table, is from the Varaždin County, then follows the Dubrovnik-Neretva County with the enrollment rate of 94,4%, Krapina-Zagorje (93,5%) and Brod-Posavina County (93,4%). The lowest enrollment rates were recorded in Karlovac County (61,1%) and Vukovar-Srijem County (68,6%). A comprehensive overview by county is shown in the (Appendix-Table 2).
Expert workers in the kindergarten
In the kindergarten, the jobs of nursing, care, and education, and social and health protection, and welfare of child may be performed only by expert workers who have qualifications as defined by the Law of the Preschool Education.
The expert workers of the kindergarten who have higher education i.e. who finished the professional two-year training after the secondary school at the College for Teachers are educators of children, from the age of one year until the age for school.
Further, the expert workers in the kindergarten are members of the professional developmental department (expert team): a pedagogue, psychologist, and disability teacher with university degree, and the health care moderator with higher education or college degree. The shorter programs are the responsibility of teachers and educators with higher or university education. So, all workers except the professional staff in the kindergarten are university graduates. They lie under obligation of the constant professional training and improvement in the field of the work with the preschool age children but also for the work and communication with the children's parents.
It is the kindergartens that is the starting and driving force of all changes with a higher level of achievement of the program with children and parents, which is congruent with scientific researches in the developmental studies reporting that the changes are feasible and of quality when coming from inside and not from outside. We believe that this is one of the essential characteristics of our Croatian program. The kindergarten became a place of common research work of educators, expert coworkers, principals, university professors and counselors from the Institute for Enhancement of Education of the Ministry of Education and Sports. The outcomes of such joint work become the models of the professional training and improvement of expert workers in the kindergarten. The strengthening of the professional competence of the educator is a continuous task of the professional improvement and the results of such method of work reflect on the quality shifts in the direct educational process with children old from one year to the age for school. The big changes occurred in the educational work with children up to three years old because their interests count as well as their capacities and the activities appropriate for the actual development.
The program orientation toward the work with the preschool age children is the basic starting point for all kinds of programs in the preschool education and since it was adopted until today we have been recording all varieties of its actualization with the primary goal and tasks they demand – the comprehensive development and education of the child based on the humanistic developmental approach.
The needs of the child and the child's self-image and self-confidence are taken into account in an ever-increasing number of kindergartens. We point out here that this especially applies to the activities carried out with children form one year old to the age for school. The educational work with all children rests on the needs and interests of children in accord and harmony with the natural and social events and developments in the environment with the tendency toward the open kindergarten in the institution itself and the community.
The attitude and efforts in the practice prevail ever more that the action researches are most contributive to the enhancement of the educational process and these researches can be effectuated in a humanistic atmosphere of tolerance to differences. Therefore, the kindergartens have great needs for professional improvement of educators and expert team members.
The professional achievements in the preschool education and the real needs of the society imply the obligation for the consequent implementation of the legal provisions and help in the further development of this profession in all areas of the Republic of Croatia. We possess the professional potentials who can present their experiences, achievements, and projects on the global level but also we have kindergartens where the quality of the educational process is below the expected level.
1 We used the data from the "Early Childhood Development" Project, the Ministry of Education and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, UNICEF Office for Croatia, the Scholl of Philosophy-Pedagogic Sciences, Zagreb, 1997.
INDICATOR 3:
Apparent (gross) intake rate: new entrants in primary grade 1 as a percentage of the population of official entry age
Primary education is compulsory in the Republic of Croatia for all children between 6 and 7 years of age. In accord with provisions of the Law of Primary Education of the Republic of Croatia (Narodne Novine, Official Gazette, No. 59/90, 27/93, 7/96), Article 44, parents are obliged to enlist the child for enrollment in the primary school within the defined period of time. Enrollment to the primary grade 1 is compulsory for children who turn 6 years of life until the 1st of April of the current year (official age). They may enroll to the primary school even earlier if the competent administration body approves the parents' application for enrollment of the child. If the commission in charge of establishing the psychophysical condition of the child has found that the child is not yet ready for school, it may release the child from the obligation to enroll and postpone the enrollment of the child.
The total population in the official age for enrollment in the primary school in 1998/99 is 50.069 children. Out of that number, 25.969 are boys and 24.100 are girls. From urban areas there are 34.210 children (17.685 boys and 16.525 girls) out of the mentioned number of the total population, and 15.859 children from rural areas (8.284 boys and 7.575 girls). Urban and rural areas in the Republic of Croatia are defined within the Law on the Local Administration and Self-Administration (Article 3, 4). The base for such definition on the geographic map of the Republic of Croatia is economic, communication, social, and cultural determinants, and the tradition, number of inhabitants, and their orientation-gravitation toward certain centers.
The total number of new entrants to primary grade 1, regardless of their age, in 1998/99 was 49.786. Out of this number, 49.718 children entered the public (sate) primary schools, and only 68 pupils enrolled in private schools. In the total number of new entrants to primary grade 1, there are 25.690 boys and 24.028 girls entrants to the public schools, and 34 boys and 34 girls entrants to the private schools.
Gross (apparent) intake rate of new entrants (AIR) to primary grade 1, regardless of their age, is 99,4 percent. The intake rate of boy entrants is 99,1 percent and the rate of girl entrants is 99,8 percent. Total (apparent) intake rate of new entrants in urban areas is 99,9 percent (99,9% for boys and girls), and in rural areas it is 98,3 percent (97,2% for boys and 99,6% for girls). The calculation of the intake rate of new entrants to primary grade 1 does not include the repeaters.
It is worth pointing out that the intake rate of the official age children to primary grade 1 is very high in the Republic of Croatia and near the rate of 100%. In the last ten years, the rate has been increasing constantly. The fall of the intake rate was noticed in the years of war aggression against the Republic of Croatia when many primary schools simply could not function normally. Their domicile area was occupied, and many children who then turned the age for school were displaced.
| Year | 1990. | 1991. | 1992. | 1993. | 1994. | 1995. | 1996. | 1997. | 1998. |
| Intake rate | 90,7% | 72,3% | 84,5% | 89,1% | 89,4% | 88,2% | 90,6% | 92,9% | 99,4% |
Net intake rate: new entrants to primary grade 1 who are of the official primary school-entrance age as a percentage of the corresponding population
The number of new entrants to primary grade 1 who in the school year 1998/1999 were of the official primary school-entrance age was 48.363 children in total, of which 24.959 were boys and 23.404 girls. Out of the total number, 48.295 children were enrolled in the public schools (24.925 boys and 23.370 girls), and 68 entered private schools (34 boys and 34 girls).
Out of the total number of 48.363 new entrants of the official primary school-entrance age, 33.214 children come from urban milieus (17.141 boys and 16.073 girls), a 15.149 from rural areas (7.818 boys and 7.331 girls). The new entrants to private schools were exclusively children from urban areas – 68 of them.
Net intake rate of new entrants to primary grade 1(NIR) who were of the official primary school-entrance age as a percentage of the total corresponding population was 96,6%. The intake rate for boys is 96,1%, and for girls 97,1%. The percentage of the intake rate for urban areas is 97,1% (96,9% boys and 97,3% girls). In rural areas, the intake rate is 95,5% (94,4% boys and 96,8% girls). The rate does not include the repeaters.
Net intake rate of children of the official primary school-entrance age in the Republic of Croatia has been high for years and the shifts are similar to those in the previous indicator.
Gross enrollment ratio
According to the provision of the Article 3 of the Law on Primary Education of the Republic of Croatia, the primary education lasts eight years, at least, and it is compulsory for all children of age from 6 to 15 year, as a rule. When the child turns 15 the child's obligation to enroll in the primary education ceases with the end of the school year in the year in which the child turns 15 years of age (Article 49, Law on Primary Education).
At the beginning of the school year 1997/1998, in the Republic of Croatia there were 453.090 children under obligation of enrollment in the primary education (all age groups). Out of this number, 420.652 were enrolled in primary schools (216.326 boys and 204.326 girls). In the public schools there were 420.277 children (216.133 boys and 204.144 girls), and in private schools 375 children (193 boys and 182 girls). Gross enrollment ratio (GER) of children under obligation to attend primary education in the beginning of school year 1997/1998 in the Republic of Croatia was 92,8%. For boys it was 93,1%, and for girls the rate was 92,5%.
In the beginning of school year 1998/1999 in the Republic of Croatia there were 438.665 children under obligation to attend primary school education (all ages). Out of this number, 416.596 children enrolled primary school (214.242 boys and 202.354 girls). In the public primary schools enrolled 416.172 children (214.021 boys and 202.151 girls), and in private school enrolled 424 children (221 boys and 203 girls). Gross enrollment ratio (GER) of children under obligation to enroll in the primary education at the beginning of school year 1998/1999 in the Republic of Croatia was 95,0%. For boys it was 93,6%, and for girls the rate was 96,5%.
The analysis of the enrollment rate of entrants to primary schools in the Republic of Croatia in the last decade shows that the ratio has been high and tends toward 100%. The data for the last two years prove this. The reason why the percentage was not higher than 95% is in the war events from the beginning of the 1990s when Croatia was exposed to war aggression. The generations now in final grades enrolled then in primary schools. Since the education system was dysfunctional in the occupied areas, the enrollment of the entire population under obligation to enter primary education was not possible.
Net enrollment ratio
As displayed in the previous indicator, in the beginning of school year 1997/1998 in the Republic of Croatia there were 453.090 children under obligation of enrollment in primary schools. The total of 418.312 children of the official age for school enrolled (214.410 boys and 203.902 girls). In the public schools enrolled 417.962 children (214.230 boys and 203.732 girls), and in private ones 350 children (180 boys and 170 girls). Net enrollment ratio (NER) of children under obligation in school year 1997/1998 in the Republic of Croatia was 92,3%. The net enrollment ratio was equal for girls and boy - 92,3%.
At the beginning of school year 1998/1999 in the Republic of Croatia there were 438.665 children under the primary education obligation (all ages). Out of this number, 414.466 children of the official age for school were enrolled in primary schools (213.220 boys and 201.246 girls). In public schools there were 414.066 children enrolled (213.010 boys and 201.056 girls), and in private schools there were 400 children (210 boys and 190 girls). Net enrollment ratio (NER) of children under obligation for primary school at the beginning of school year 1998/1999 in the Republic of Croatia was 94,5%. For boys it was 93,1%, and for girls 96,0%.
It is apparent that even this more precise measure of enrollment of those under obligation to enroll in primary education in the Republic of Croatia indicates the high ratio and tends toward higher values i.e. 100%. The explanation why the enrollment ratio is not closer to 100% is like in the previous indicator – war circumstances in the Republic of Croatia during the aggression.
Public current expenditure in primary education per pupil, as a percentage of GNP per capita
The Indicator 7 represents the share of Government invested financial funds for primary education per pupil, in GNP per capita. In the observed period from 1990 to 1999 it was approximately 18 percent with slight deviations in some years (Appendix-Table 5 Column 9).
Since we have no data available for the period 1990-1993, the shown data is estimation.
In 1998, thanks to the increased rate of funds assigned for primary education, which was higher than the rate of the entire GNP, and due to the reduced lower number of pupils than in the previous year, the share of expenditures for primary education per pupil, as a percentage of GNP per capita raised up to 19,57 percent.
Public expenditure on primary education as a percentage of total public expenditure on education
Indicator 8 calculates the share of expenditures on primary education in the entire public expenditure on education.
In the last 10 years, the average invested funds for primary education was 52 percent of total public expenditure on education (Appendix-Table 5 Column 7).
Data for the period 1990-1993 are estimation.
In 1999, the share of this expenditure was reduced to 49,7 percent of all funds, which is a consequence of the faster rise of funds for entire education (index 127) than funds for primary education in relation to the previous year (index 122).
Percentage of primary school teachers having the required academic qualifications
In the Republic of Croatia the regulations prescribe who can carry out education and participate in the realization of the school curriculum. This is defined by the Law on Primary Education of the Republic of Croatia (Narodne novine Gazette No. 59/90, 27/93. and 7/96.) Article. 71., 72., 73., 74., 75., 76., 77., 78., 79., 80., 81. and 82. Teachers and expert collaborators participate in the realization of the school curriculum.
The jobs of the class teacher (primary grades from 1 to 4) can execute any person with at least higher level education of the specific vocation acquired at the corresponding pedagogic faculty. It must be mentioned that a minor number of teachers are class teachers from the old generation (up to 6%) who graduated from the secondary school for teachers which provided them with satisfactory professional basics for pedagogic work in lower grades of primary schools. The law has recognized their qualifications for work until retirement. The works of subject teachers (primary school grades 5 to 8) can perform only persons with adequate high qualifications. If, in 1990, at the time the Law on Primary Education of the Republic of Croatia took force, any teachers were found who had higher qualifications, this law enabled them to continue their work.
Besides the class and subject teachers, other specialized experts are included in the realization of the curriculum and direct pedagogic work with pupils, too. They provide pupils and their parents, and teachers with counseling and stimulate innovations in the educational work in keeping with modern concepts and cognition of the pedagogic and other sciences and experiences of the positive school practice. These experts are appointed as expert coworkers (school pedagogues, school psychologists, disability teachers, social workers, librarians, etc). it is compulsory that they have academic qualifications acquired at the corresponding university. The basic postgraduate study subject of expert coworkers is pedagogy, psychology, disabilities, social work, librarianship, etc). In the total population of the pedagogic personnel of the school there are 2,1% of expert coworkers. It is in the interest of progress and enhancement of the educational work to make the rules that allow the rise of the number of these coworkers. In the statistical reports and overviews of the professional adequacy of schools the expert coworkers are shown in the number of teachers.
All teachers and expert coworkers starting their work in primary schools after they have acquired the adequate academic qualifications are obliged to master the 12 months probation-traineeship with support from the mentor and the commission. After that, in accord with the executive provisions of the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia they take the professional exam.
Teachers and expert coworkers are obliged to sustain permanent training and education for the sake of improvement and enhancement of their professional competence. They reach their professional development by working independently and by participating in organized forms of professional training and improvement provided to them systematically by the Institute for Enhancement of Education of the Ministry of Education and Sports. The corresponding high education institutions and professional associations also participate in the organized professional training and qualification of educational workers.
Teachers and expert coworkers being outstanding by their achievements and quality of their pedagogic work may advance and acquire the status of mentors or counselors.
In school year 1998/1999, the total number of primary school teachers in the Republic of Croatia was 25.480 of whom 6.124 were men and 19.356 were women. In urban areas are employed 16.754 teachers (3.853 men and 12.901 women), and in rural areas there are 8.726 teachers (2.271 men and 6.455 women).
Out of the total number of primary school teachers 24.055 have academic qualifications (5.782 men and 18.273 women). Of all teachers with academic qualifications in urban areas work 15.665 (3.603 men and 12.062 women), and in rural areas work 8.390 teachers (2.179 men and 6.211 women).
The number of primary school teachers with academic qualifications expressed in percents is 94,4% (94,4% men and 94,4% women). In urban areas there are 93,5% such teachers (93,5% men and 93,5% women), and in rural areas there are 96,1% (95,9% men and 96,2% women). The number of teachers with academic qualifications rises as the older generations of teachers who acquired their qualifications in early 50-ies get retired. Expectations are that the percent of teachers with academic qualifications will be nearly 100% in a few years.
Percentage of primary school teachers who are certified to teach according to national standards
Out of the total number of teachers employed in primary schools in the Republic of Croatia, there are 25.170 of the (5.964 men and 19.206 women) who are certified to teach according to the national standards and standards defined by the systemic laws and implementation rules. Out of the presented total number of certified teachers, in urban areas work 16.604 of them (3.783 men and 12.821 women), and in rural areas work 8.566 teachers (2.181 men and 6.385 women).
The number of certified teachers expressed in percents is 98,8% (97,4% men and 99,2% women). In urban areas work 99,1% of certified teachers (98,2% men and 99,4% women), and in rural areas there are 98,2% certified teachers (96,0% men and 98,9% women).
Having in mind the duration of education of teachers in the Republic of Croatia and the rigorous requirements they have to meet to acquire the license for work in primary schools, it is easy to conclude that the quality of the teaching staff is at an appropriately high level. To their high professional competence in the domain of their qualifications and the pedagogic-psychological and didactic-methodic education we must add also the systematic care for their professional development throughout their career as teachers. Croatians Scholl Museum
The Republic of Croatia has a carefully devised and worked out system of training and professional improvement of teachers, especially in primary school education. Educational counselors school inspectors organized in the Institute for Education as an expert-pedagogic institution of the Ministry of Education and Sports monitor the direct practical work of teachers in schools. By counseling and instructive work with teachers, and using different kinds of motivation, counselors and inspectors succeed in motivating teachers for creative and innovative approaches in the educational work with pupils. Croatian Pedagogic-Literary Convention
Pupil/Teacher ratio
The total number of pupils who attended primary schools in the Republic of Croatia in school year 1998/1999 was 416.596. Out of this number 291.153 pupils attended primary schools in urban areas and 125.443 in rural areas.. Out of the total number, in public schools there were 416.172 pupils (290.729 in urban and 125.443 in rural areas). In private schools there were enrolled 424 pupils, all in urban areas.
Total number of teachers included in the educational work of primary schools in school year 1998/1999 was 25.480 (16.754 in urban and 8.726 in rural areas). Out of the total number, in public education there were 25.451 teachers active (16.725 in urban and 8.726 in rural areas) and in private schools there were 29 teachers, all in urban areas.
Pupil/teacher ratio i.e. the average number of pupils on one teacher in primary schools in the Republic of Croatia in school year 1998/1999 was 16,35. In urban areas, the pupil/teacher ratio was 17,38 and in rural 14,37. In public schools the pupil/teacher ratio was 16,35 (17,38 in urban and 14,37 in rural areas) and in private schools 14,62 (14,62 in urban areas only because there is no private education in rural areas now).
We must say that beside teachers, the class master is another educator taking care of pupils. The task of the class master or mistress is to bring in accord interests of any group of pupils in the class, to achieve the systematic communication with parents, and to solve eventual conflicts on the pupil-teacher or pupil-pupil levels. Beside the class master, other experts like pedagogues, school psychologists, disability teachers, and social workers assist pupils also. The area of work of these experts ranges from didactic-methodic to developmental-psychological work, meaning that they are supposed to help children whose school performance is poor or those who have developmental difficulties or problems originating from unsatisfactory conditions and circumstances in the family.
Repetition rates by grade
In this indicator we use the data on survival rates by grade respectively the repetition rates in two consecutive school years, 1997/1998 and 1998/1999. the data are elaborated in the chart "Indicators of internal efficiency of the primary education cycle", and they apply to an eight years period, which how long the primary respectively the compulsory education lasts in the Republic of Croatia.
The survival rate in the primary grade 1 is 99,4%, and in grades 2., 3. and 4. - 100%, in 5. and 6. - 99,1%, in 7. – 98,8%, and in grade 8. – 99,7%. It is apparent that the lowest survival rate is in primary grades 5 and 6, and in primary grade 1. Grades 1 and five are considered as critical points of survival in primary schools. Grade 1 because of the traditional belief of the pedagogic personnel that for pupils who can not master the primary grade 1 subjects is better to repeat the grade 1 than any later grade. Grade 5 is the turning point, transition from class teaching to subject teaching i.e. instead of one teacher who knows pupils well there are now numerous teachers, one for every school subject. The subject teachers maintain communication with many pupils as a rule, which disables them to know well all aspects of a pupil's personality and they are more critical about the pupil's achievements and performance.
The repetition rate is directly connected with the survival rate but we must bear in mind that the sum of these two rates does not necessarily have to be 100% because some pupils drop out and leave school. Observed between two consecutive school years, 1997/1998 and 1998/1999, the repetition rate varies between 0,2% and 1%, and the average rate is 0,6%. An overview of these data by grade follows.
| Grade | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. |
| Repetition rate | 0,9% | 0,3% | 0,3% | 0,2% | 1,1% | 0,8% | 1,0% | 0,3% |
In the graph and table above it is visible that the highest repetition rate is in primary grade 5. as already mentioned, this grade is the one to which pupils come from lower grades where the teaching cycle is performed by only one teacher, and the teaching contents are integrated into educational areas. Upon upgrading to grade 5, for the first time, pupils meet with many subjects and every subject is performed by one teacher specialized in the subject. Postgraduate education of subject teachers is focused more on acquiring professional competence (subject) and less on didactic-methodological aspect of the educational work. Besides, the number of pupils one teacher teaches is usually as large as to make it impossible for the teacher to know pupils better, their personalities, capacities and interests. Therefore, the teaching cycle is less individualized than in lower grades and consequently, the outcomes of pupils are sometimes poorer than achievements of pupils in grades 1 to 4.
Survival rate to grade 5 (percentage of pupil cohort actually reaching grade 5)
As already presented in the previous indicators, pupils in primary grades 1 to 4 in the Republic of Croatia attend the class teaching. This means that in these grades, being one half of all primary grades and one half of the compulsory basic education, pupils are guided and educated by only one teacher. This teacher performs the entire teaching cycle in all educational areas defined in the curriculum. The teacher also monitors the psychophysical development of pupils. In such an organization of educational work the teacher acquires in-depth knowledge about every pupil, in the class and learns well the social background and family circumstances of each pupil. The teacher can then adjust the pedagogic work and admeasure tasks to fit every single pupil, respecting a number of factors that influence the successful progress of every pupil.
An analysis of the curriculum shows that during the first four years of education pupils should acquire essential skills and basic knowledge in linguistics-art, mathematics-natural sciences, social and health-physical area. The acquired skills and knowledge is enriched through numerous subjects and areas in grades 5 to 8, and later in the secondary and high and university education. It is possible to conclude that the knowledge that pupils have acquired prior to primary grade 5 actually represents the elementary literacy, which is a prerequisite for successful continuation of education.
The fact must be kept in mind that every child reaching the age for school and showing no apparent difficulties, for which the child should be included in a specialized institution for children with developmental difficulties, becomes obliged to enter school. The viewpoints of the superior educational-political and professional-pedagogical institutions oblige teachers to adjust the didactic-methodological approach so as to allow in the given circumstances, the optimum survival of pupils from grade to grade.
Results of such an approach to the educational work with pupils show the high survival rate up to grade 5. An analysis of the sample cohort shows that 98,5% of all children enrolled in primary grade 1 finish the first 4 grades successfully and reach grade 5.
Coefficient of efficiency (ideal number of pupil years needed for a pupil cohort to complete the primary cycle, expressed as a percentage of the actual number of pupil-years)
The coefficient of efficiency in this indicator is taken as the number of pupil years needed for pupils to complete successfully a single grade and the primary cycle as a whole. Thereto, we count one school year spent in one grade as one pupil year.
With eight grades in mind, which is how long the primary cycle lasts in the Republic of Croatia, the school year/pupil year ratio is as follows:
| Grade | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7. | 8. |
| Number of pupil years needed | 1.010 | 1.007 | 1.010 | 1.013 | 1.024 | 1.023 | 1.025 | 1.016 |
The largest number of pupil years is needed for completion of primary grades 5, 6 and 7. as already commented, grade 5 is the beginning of a new approach to pupils: instead of one teacher per class there are ten or more teachers coming to one class; instead of the teaching cycle integrated in related areas the teaching is now organized in subjects with little correlation between these subjects. Beside the more expressive specialization of teachers and a larger number of subjects, primary grade 7 is also specific by an accelerated physical development of pupils, followed by phenomena characteristic for puberty.
Coefficient of efficiency is not quite proportional to the school year/pupil year ratio in some grades because it depends not only on the repetition rate but also on the drop out of pupils. Data analysis shows that the coefficient of efficiency is the highest in primary grade 4 – the ending grade of class teaching. Thereafter, the coefficient reduces gradually toward the final grade of primary education: 100,3% in grades 4 and 5, 100% in grade 6, and 99,7% in grade 7. In the final primary grade 8 the coefficient of efficiency is 99,7%.
Sources:
Homes for pupils
Homes for pupils are educational institutions providing day and night accommodation, food, and care for pupils throughout the secondary school education.
Homes for pupils are integrated in the secondary education system. There are 52 such homes, and the majority of them operate independently. These homes are deployed all over Croatia, in 31 towns. The majority of homes is in Zagreb, and then follows Split, Osijek, and Rijeka.
In homes for pupils are accommodated 7.716 pupils.
PROGRAM
The educational program is humanistic and development-oriented and based on the real needs of every pupil, not only on in view of the cognitive development but also emotional, social and above all health and safety of pupils.
Much attention is attached to the social and preventive pediatrics provided to pupils in learning and as qualitative mastering of curriculum as possible. However, pupils have numerous activities to choose from, which are in connection with special interests of expression, creating, (verbal, fine art, drama) but also with activities designed for preparing pupils to overcome the problems of the adolescent age (sexuality, addiction, communication, etc). Each home, in average, offers a dozen or more different programs for pupils to choose from.
Everyday life is enriched with a variety of activities, too, such as observing holidays, performances, and shows, in the home and outside.
Much attention is paid to feeding, programs for preservation and improvement of health, and the goal of every home for pupils is to provide pupils with quality living.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Educational work, which is very demanding, is performed by educators (301 of them) who are mainly subject teachers by vocation, seldom pedagogues or psychologists, all with academic qualifications.
During the night there are only "night monitors" on duty, who are people with secondary level education as defined by the law and with no specific vocation.
Although, according to the present standards on profiles of workers all homes for pupils may employ expert coworkers and medical nurses, the majority of homes did not effectuate this right because of financial incapacity. The principals and heads of homes are now those who care for and organize jobs for improvement of the educational work, although not adequately and sufficiently qualified in most cases.
MATERIAL CONDITIONS
The majority of homes for pupils were constructed without a specific purpose. There is no didactic equipment for professional and expert work. Premises are equipped more like schools (benches and classrooms). Rooms are over capacitated and pupils generally have little purposefully arranged space for living and learning.
OUTCOMES
Despite the poor material conditions and inadequate approach in the treatment of homes for pupils, these homes achieved great progress in the education work in the last year.
Thanks to efforts of principals, the premises were decorated and arranged like never before. The concept of classrooms is given up and there are more of the humanized and intimate spaces for individual work or work in small groups. Specializes premises are decorated and outfitted for various activities of expression and creating or sports.
Pupils have more than 50 different types of programs to choose from and these programs are shaped and amended accordingly to needs and interests of pupils. Programs are assessed and evaluated by all participants in the process, and parents and pupils are additionally encouraged to participate.
Educators read more of the modern literature and improve professionally (various additional educations, especially in the area of communication, psychology of adolescence and various therapy methods) and apply new and more successful methods and models of work with their pupils. Regarding the relations of participants in the educational process, the atmosphere in homes has been changing in core and improving. The majority of principals is more appreciative of the profession in the overall organization of life and less burdened with financial difficulties, and encourage and support the process of the enhancement of work with children, most usually through small projects or researching actions.
STRATEGY OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROFESSIONAL WORK
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