Participants of the liberal forum “Education and Youth,” held on Sunday in Split, conveyed that young people in Croatia need civic education in schools to develop their potential to engage in the social and political life of the communities in which they live.
The liberal forum was organized by the Pametno party together with the parties of the so-called Amsterdam Coalition, which includes IDS (Istrian Democratic Assembly) and the GLAS party (Civic-Liberal Alliance).
Puljak: Comprehensive Curriculum Reform is Halted
The president of the Pametno party, Marijana Puljak, emphasized that youth education is one of the burning issues in Croatia and that a comprehensive reform of the education system is necessary.
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‘Politics serves us bad news daily, procedural violations, destruction of institutions… These are the messages that citizens in Croatia receive, and in such a situation, children cannot conclude that optimism reigns here and that they have reasons for optimism,’ said Milas Klarić.
“We are aware that the comprehensive curriculum reform in Croatia, let’s not deceive ourselves, has been halted,” said Puljak, assessing that the direction this Government is leading is “continuously ruining all chances for youth in Croatia.” She believes that this direction needs to be turned towards the future and offer quality education to young people.
The president of GLAS, Anka Mrak Taritaš, stated that urgent changes in education are necessary.
However, she adds, this Government does not promise that but declaratively states for education reform, which at this moment boils down to introducing computer science in primary and secondary schools, primarily in fifth and sixth grades.
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“There are some political options that are not concerned that young people are leaving Croatia because their voters remain, and they know that their voters will stay,” added Mrak Taritaš.
In her opinion, young people do not leave Croatia only for safer jobs and salaries but because of the political option of the current Government.
And in Croatia, she says, there are people who have a vision and can change what has not been done in the last 20-30 years.
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Mrak Taritaš also believes that demographic difficulties cannot be solved simply by giving someone “birth assistance.”
“If demographic problems start to be solved now, the first results will be visible in 20 or 30 years, but it must be known what is desired and what kind of Croatia is wanted in 20 or 30 years,” adds Mrak Taritaš.
The president of IDS, Boris Miletić, emphasized that education is one of the greatest challenges that Croatian society must face.
‘In the Republic of Croatia, fog has been sold for 28 years. The mechanisms by which fog is sold are very clear – it is most often the past that is thrown like a smoke bomb in the eyes of young people and all of us,’ said Jokić.
He reminded that measures in preschool education reform, enrollment of all children in kindergartens, and extended stay in schools until the fourth grade have been implemented in Istria, which has improved the quality of life.
“This is one of the reasons why the population in Istria is growing, unlike the rest of Croatia where the population is declining,” said Miletić.
He also highlighted that the City of Pula allocates 50 percent of its “original budget” for youth, that is, for preschool education, primary education, sports, and education.
Jokić: Politicians Shower Us with Stupid Statements Instead of Perspectives for Croatia
Boris Jokić from the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb and former head of the comprehensive curriculum reform emphasized that in 1976, the number of children born in Croatia was almost 70,000, and in 2011 it was halved – 35,000.
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“This means that in a period of about 40 years, the number of children born in the Republic of Croatia has been halved, and this has strong repercussions on the education system,” emphasized Jokić.
He stated that in 1977, there were 500,000 people in the educational system at the primary school level in Croatia, and in 2012, there were 330,000. He also added that in the European Union, as much as 94 percent of children attend early preschool education, while in Croatia only 72 percent.
“Research on a sample of two thousand Zagreb seventh graders shows that they see their future in 20 years, and more than 90 percent see it positively. However, the best among them see the future of Croatia negatively,” noted Jokić.
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He believes that politicians “shower us with stupid statements,” while they should focus on the perspectives of Croatia.
“In the Republic of Croatia, fog has been sold for 28 years. The mechanisms by which fog is sold are very clear – it is most often the past that is thrown like a smoke bomb in the eyes of young people and all of us,” said Jokić in a statement to reporters.
When asked if “fog was sold” in other times as well, and not just in the last 28 years, Jokić replied that the problem is not just in the last 28 years but has been so for 50 years.
Ivana Milas Klasić, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, pointed out that violations of rights in education in Croatia are very frequent, and according to previous reports to the Ombudsman for Children, violations of spatial and staffing conditions in schools, as well as unethical and unprofessional behavior of teachers, have been frequent.
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“Politics serves us bad news daily, procedural violations, destruction of institutions… These are the messages that citizens in Croatia receive, and in such a situation, children cannot conclude that optimism reigns here and that they have reasons for optimism,” said Milas Klarić.
Martinović: Include Youth in the Decision-Making Process
The founder of the portal srednja.hr, Marko Martinović, emphasized that young people in Croatia should be included in decision-making processes and allowed to express their views when decisions are made.
“It is the task of political parties to create a framework in which young people would also be asked for their opinion,” said Martinović, assessing it as illogical to make decisions for young people without considering their opinions.
