Schleicher: Reforms in Croatia are Slower than the Speed at which Society is Changing

Global processes aimed at improving education, comparing achievements, and specific proposals on how to raise the quality of education in Croatia are some of the topics of the round table ‘Dialogues in Education’ taking place on Thursday in the Preporod Hall of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) with the participation of Croatian and foreign experts.

The round table is organized by the Ministry of Science and Education (MZO) based on the ‘Dialogues in Education’ concept developed by the British Council, and is held in collaboration with this British institution and the British Embassy.

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Minister of Science and Education Blaženka Divjak invited international experts such as the Director of the Education and Skills Directorate and Special Advisor on Education Policies to the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Andreas Schleicher, former Chief Executive of the Scottish Education Inspectorate (HMIE) and Chief Professional Advisor for Education of the Scottish Government Graham Donaldson, and the Director General for Preschool and Primary Education of the Slovenian Ministry of Science, Education and Sport Gregor Mohorčič.

Schleicher: Congratulations to Croatia for Promising Efforts in Education Reform

Andreas Schleicher stated that Croatia’s promising efforts to reform its education system so that it serves progress rather than the difficult past are commendable. In a statement to reporters, Schleicher expressed confidence in this process in Croatia, which, he added, is also faced by the most developed countries in the world that are reforming their education systems in a similar direction.

When asked what he considers to be the weakest point of the Croatian education system, Schleicher responded that it is the focus on teaching students to memorize facts and reproduce them, while modern society does not ask what you know but what you can do with what you know. This is the real weak point of the Croatian education system because of the weak capacity of students to creatively apply acquired knowledge and solve complex problems.

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This, Schleicher reminded, is also evident from PISA research, and therefore he believes that curricular reform will create a better connection between educational institutions and the needs of the labor market in Croatia.

Schleicher assessed that Croatia, like most countries, is faced with the fact that changes are far faster than adequate responses to them. He added that it may seem to some that the reforms are radical and overly ambitious, but he believes they are very mild compared to the challenges of the future, such as how we will ‘align’ artificial intelligence with human values, how to improve social skills, and the readiness of people to truly live together.

He concluded that reforms in Croatia are slower than the speed at which Croatian society is changing, although some may perceive them as radical.

Divjak: We Must Change Because We Are Falling Behind the World

Minister Divjak asserted that we must change because the comparative report on educational processes presented by Andreas Schleicher shows that Croatia is lagging behind the world, and we still have overcrowded curricula that correspond to the first, not the fourth industrial revolution.

She assessed that the pace at which we are implementing reform processes is the ‘fastest possible’, and that we still have enough will and capacity for the reform processes to be realistic. Divjak reminded that from autumn, experimental implementation will begin in 72 schools to truly determine what and how needs to be changed, and how to enable teachers to receive support in implementing these reforms that must happen.

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The minister assessed that from the current course of the round table, it is evident that we must shift from content to achieving learning outcomes that will enable students to be competitive in the 21st century, that is, to learn how to solve complex problems, how to think critically and be innovative, independent, which values to nurture and how to do that.

As she stated, an important part of the recommendations also relates to teachers, how to connect them with each other and connect different digital content in teaching, achieve interdisciplinary work in schools that does not focus only on one subject and on testing something.

Noting that research has shown that Croatian teachers are very dissatisfied, the question followed whether she was aware that the results would be such. Divjak responded that teachers are key factors for the success of any reform, whose success is always measured in the classroom. She emphasized that the MZO pays great attention to working with teachers, and this will be the main task during the period of work in experimental schools.

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When comparing the position of Croatian teachers with some successful systems that yield much better learning outcomes, it is evident, she emphasized, that Croatian teachers are the most dissatisfied with their position in society, and this is not so much about material status as it is about their perception in society and how society values their work.

Divjak asserted that today’s discussion also shows that factual knowledge can be counterproductive when it comes to solving complex problems. Because, she added, computers memorize and search for data better than we do and with much greater capacity can provide answers to questions concerning content, so problem-solving, critical thinking, and navigating in modern society are what we really need to develop.