HBK: We Care That the Curriculum Truly Represents the National and Croatian Education System

A member of the Permanent Council of the Croatian Bishops’ Conference (HBK), the Archbishop of Đakovo-Osijek, Mons. Đuro Hranić, reported on Thursday that Croatian bishops discussed catechesis in new circumstances, pastoral colloquiums for priests, and the guidelines from the Ministry of Science and Education (MZO) regarding the curricular reform at the regular 55th plenary session of the HBK.

At the press conference, Mons. Hranić reported that among other topics discussed at the session was what the MZO expects from the HBK regarding religious education as a school subject and what is expected from the expert group for Catholic religious education within the framework of the curricular reform.

“We care about religious education in schools but also about the quality of education in general in Croatia,” he said, adding that they expect a clear selection of professional and scientific workers from the MZO who will work on curriculum reviews.

He emphasized that it is particularly important, when it comes to subjects within education that make the Croatian language and the Croatian school system distinctly Croatian, to highlight the importance of the Croatian language and literature, history, and other subjects that in any way protect all the good achieved in the distant and recent history of our homeland.

“We care that our Croatian education system respects the values and cultural traditions of our people and that it truly becomes a national and Croatian education system,” said Mons. Hranić, adding that it should be a system that, alongside everything necessary and good, knows how to educate our youth and guide them to respect their own identity, history, and culture.

The President of the HBK Council for Catholic Education – for preschool, school, and higher education Catholic and church institutions, the Bishop of Požega, Mons. Antun Škvorčević, emphasized that there is great interest among parents for Catholic schools.

However, he stated that this is not an ideological but a value-based increase in interest.

He also pointed out that the bishops discussed, due to obligations between the state and the HBK, the definition of core subjects in Catholic schools and added that they are trying to solve the problem by working on the development of a new curriculum.

He announced that the HBK aims to define the identity of Catholic schools in Croatia through the development of a document within the framework of cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Holy See.

The President of the Croatian Caritas, the Bishop of Varaždin, Mons. Josip Mrzljak, announced a meeting of Croatian and Slovenian Catholics in Stična, to which around 2,000 Croatian believers will pilgrimage in 40 buses. “We want to pray together that mutual contentious issues are resolved peacefully,” said Mons. Mrzljak. He also reported that the bishops discussed the catechesis of Roma, of whom there are about 12,000 in his diocese.