The insistence on introducing STEM (an acronym for ‘science’, ‘technology’, ‘engineering’, and ‘mathematics’) in Croatian schools in recent years has reached such a level that, alongside the mention of an educational program based on the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the term ‘revolution’ is inevitably added. However, even more young Croats are choosing to study in humanities and social programs than in faculties specialized in STEM. Thus, the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb continue to enroll the most students.
Long-term Process
The main reason why interest in STEM fields in Croatia is not so great is that, unlike the Western EU member states and the United States, there has not been a systematic plan/program until recently that would engage the youngest population in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. While the European Commission document related to strategic thinking in education emphasizes that it is equally important to acquire transversal and fundamental knowledge and skills in STEM from an early age, Croatian fifteen-year-olds achieve below-average results in language and mathematical literacy in international assessments (PISA).
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STEM in its definition contains the thesis that higher education is not the only place where these principles should be accepted, as indicated by the aforementioned European Commission document, but it comes as the culmination of a long-term process. Until recently, there was not much discussion about STEM as a fundamental direction of Croatian education, even in the context of the never realized curriculum reform by Boris Jokić.
Actions for Change
Then Nenad Bakić and his Institute for the Development and Inventiveness of Youth (IRIM) appeared, promoting a large educational project using micro:bit computers, and the term STEM soon became a Croatian synonym for progress. It was no longer just the experts from FER and the ‘Ruđer Bošković’ Institute who were advocating for it, but Bakić’s path was also followed by small and medium entrepreneurs.
Salaries of Scientists and Engineers Grow Too Slowly
While STEM has just established itself in the minds of educational system creators, some foreign experts consider overly ambitious investments in the STEM curriculum to be dangerous. Renowned American demographer Michael S. Teitelbaum criticized the efforts of the U.S. government to increase the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, stating that most research shows that salaries in science and engineering grow slowly, while unemployment is simultaneously high or higher than in many comparable professions. Teitelbaum also wrote that current American, and likely global, plans to increase the number of scientists and engineers resemble attempts to popularize these professions after World War II, which ultimately ended in mass layoffs and financial cuts.
Certainly, the most interesting such project recently is called ‘Croatia Creates’, backed by the company STEMI and the association Programerko as a representative of Code Club. The main goal of the project’s organizers is to launch Code Clubs in every Croatian county, centers where elementary school students can meet in their free time to learn and create new technologies for free.
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During visits to each individual county, informational and motivational lectures will be held on how to develop a technology company and how to go from idea to product. An introductory workshop will follow, and the clubs will retain ownership of robot kits for practical application of acquired knowledge, Stemi hexapod. In this way, Croatian schoolchildren will be provided with a unique opportunity to develop skills for free, in the same way and under the same conditions as schoolchildren in developed countries.
Croatia Learns
In this plan, the Croatian Community of Technical Culture will assist, with its centers across the country serving as locations for establishing new clubs.
– Although the project is focused on natural and technical fields, it primarily serves as a foundation for the further development of individuals and their interests. We want to motivate young people to become active participants in society who think, explore, and develop new ideas. Such active participants contribute to the development of the economy and open new opportunities that will keep young people in Croatia. Through this event, we want to show schoolchildren that there is room for beautiful and innovative stories in Croatia and provide them with support in creating them. We want to show young people that they are not alone in researching and developing ideas – said Marin Trošelj, director of the company STEMI. We live in a world of rapid changes and volatility. Despite the noble goals of the ‘Croatia Creates’ project, it is impossible to predict how the labor market will behave in the future.
