In 2018, the United Nations established the International Day of Education, which we observe on January 24. It is an opportunity to further highlight the importance of education as a key driver of development and progress for every individual and every society, as well as a tool for combating inequality and poverty.
It is essential for education to be accessible, which includes a sufficient number of educational institutions, but also acceptable — meeting certain quality standards — and adaptable to the needs of different groups.
When it comes to preschool education in Croatia, the main challenges are its accessibility and regional disparities. This was recognised by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which recommended that Croatia expand access to early childhood education, especially for children of unemployed parents, Roma children and children with developmental difficulties, as well as strengthen the state’s role in reducing regional disparities in early childhood education.
As for primary education, members of the Roma national minority, unfortunately, continue to face segregation in education. Therefore, the Ombudswoman recommended to the Ministry of Science and Education, in both the 2021 and 2022 Reports, the development of an Action Plan. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination also recommended that Croatia urgently abolish this practice.
Beyond being a prohibited form of discrimination, segregation in education undermines one of the key preconditions for overcoming poverty — a reality for many members of the Roma community — and for breaking the vicious cycle of discrimination and poverty.
Educational inequalities are reflected across different parts of the education system, and they are interconnected. Data from the publication “Educational Inequalities in Croatia – Challenges and Needs from the Perspective of Education System Stakeholders” show that student achievement in secondary school is still closely linked to socioeconomic status, gender, and region of residence.
Furthermore, the share of adults continuing education in Croatia is low — only 3.2%, compared to the EU average of 9.2%. Analysis shows that adult education faces numerous challenges, partly due to the prolonged reform of the adult education system itself. These challenges include personal obstacles such as lack of time or financial resources, insufficient prior knowledge or self-confidence, but also issues related to the way programmes for adults are designed and implemented.
Finally, a very important precondition for overall social development is systematic human rights and equality education at all levels of education. Although this area has been part of the curriculum for several years as a cross-curricular topic, it is questionable how much pupils and teachers can truly engage with it — given the way it was introduced and implemented, without being a separate subject — and how well they can absorb the knowledge that must be acquired in school, to ensure that children and young people one day become active citizens in a democratic society.
This education should more prominently include the values of social solidarity, active citizenship, and peaceful conflict resolution, with gender equality and equity education as a means to prevent discrimination, hate crimes, and gender-based violence.
This is particularly important because various studies point not only to a lack of knowledge about human rights, but also to low levels of political literacy among young people, as well as low political participation and trust in institutions. Such education would help raise awareness from an early age about the importance of respecting human rights and equality for all, and ensure that, later in life, people are aware of their own rights, can recognise when those rights are being violated, and can actively stand up for them — as well as for the rights of others. For all these reasons, the systematic introduction of human rights education remains a longstanding recommendation of the Ombudswoman.