Education strategy commission holds first meeting

An expert commission for the implementation of the Education, Science and Technology Strategy held its first session on Monday.

An expert commission held its first session on Monday, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic saying expertise and plurality were the criteria for appointing its members and that its makeup reflected a pluralistic stance and spirit which would contribute to a broad social consensus on an education reform.

Plenkovic appointed the 11-member commission today and chaired its first session. The commission's work will be coordinated by the Science and Education Ministry.

The PM said the goal was to implement the strategy adopted by parliament and continue with the education reform with as broad a social consensus as possible. He said the reform was important for Croatia's future and for connecting the education system and the labour market.

Plenkovic said the commission's members were academics and experts. He recalled that Croatia has 899 elementary schools with over 320,000 pupils and 402 secondary schools with nearly 160,000 students, and that the 2017 budget for the education reform had been doubled.

Plenkovic said he expected all institutions, interested stakeholders and political parties to support the reform and, in cooperation with parliament, to contribute so that young Croatians could be competitive on the labour market, skilled, and mobile on the European Union market, using the possibilities of Croatia's membership.

Commission chair Dijana Vican said the education reform had not been stopped, while Education Minister Pavo Barisic said the Education, Science and Technology Strategy would be upgraded.

 

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