Funding

Funding of ECEC

The founder of a pre-primary education institution (kindergarten) is obliged to ensure funding for the establishment and operation of the institution. The pre-primary education institution secures funds by selling services as well as from other sources, in accordance with the law . If two or more founders co-found a pre-primary education institution, the funds for the establishment and operation are secured by the founders in accordance with the Memorandum of Association. The pre-primary education institution that was founded by a local and regional government unit charges its services from the parents, in accordance with the criteria stipulated by the representative body of the government unit, with the exception of the one-year school preparation programme, which is free of charge for the parents. The fee is paid into the bank account of the local and regional government unit which founded the kindergarten or into the bank account of the institution, if the representative body of the local and regional government unit adopts such a decision. The criteria for the allocation of funds to meet the public needs in the area of pre-primary education are, on the level of local and regional government unit, adopted by the representative body of the respective county or the City of Zagreb.

Local government units are obliged to earmark for pre-primary education at least the amount of funds determined by the representative body of the county or the City of Zagreb, on the basis of set criteria. The distribution of funds for the establishment and the operation of pre-primary education institutions is decided by the local and regional government unit that has earmarked the funds in its budget, in accordance with the criteria set by the representative body of the county, i.e. the City of Zagreb.

A part of the funds for the public needs programmes in the area of pre-primary education is earmarked in the state budget. Public needs programmes are education programmes for children with developmental disabilities and gifted children, for early childhood education and care of the children of Croatian citizens abroad, and for the early childhood education and care of children who are members of national minorities. The distribution of funds from the state budgets as well as the criteria for co-financing of individual abovementioned programmes are prescribed by the minister in charge of education. The regulations prescribing the salaries, allowances and other income of civil servants and employees in primary education regulate the salaries, allowances and other income of the pre-primary education institution staff owned by local and regional government units or the Republic of Croatia, if such regulations are beneficial for the employees. The union negotiates and signs the collective agreement on behalf of the staff with the founder or the provider of the funds for the institution.

Funding of schools

The funds for public needs in the area of single-structure (primary and lower secondary) education and upper secondary education are provided from:

• state budget;
• local and regional government unit budget;
• founder’s sources if the founder is any other natural or legal person;
• income from the commercial activity and other designated income;
• fees paid for special services and activities provided by the institution;
• donations and other sources in accordance with the law.

From the state budget, the funds are allocated for the financing of the education institutions whose founder is the Republic of Croatia or the local or regional government unit, specifically, for staff salaries and allowances, including contributions, and other material rights of the workers as defined by the collective agreements, such as: assistance allowance, severance payment, anniversary allowance, holiday allowance, Christmas and St Nicholas gift bonus; expenditures for the finalisation of capital projects of building, annex construction and reconstruction of school facilities and its furbishing undertaken by the Republic of Croatia on 1 July 2001, until its completion and the commencement of use; expenditures for the construction, annex construction and reconstruction of school facilities of schools for children with disabilities and schools providing education in the language and the script of national minorities; commuting allowance for the school staff; professional development and training, national programmes adopted by the Croatian Parliament, education of the children of Croatian citizens abroad, preparatory and catch-up classes for the children of EU citizens, the support for the provision of education in the mother tongue and the culture of the pupils who are members of families of EU citizens, support for the preparation of teachers who will education in the mother tongue and the culture of the pupils who are members of families of EU citizens, preparatory and catch-up classes for the children of asylum seekers and other persons stipulated in Article 46 hereof; external evaluation and implementation of upper secondary education leaving examination, licensing of teachers, expert associates and the principals, commuting allowance bonuses, special teaching and learning prompts and the costs of meals and accommodation in boarding homes for the education of pupils with disabilities, costs of professional teams supporting schools in their work with children with disabilities.

In exceptional cases, the funds are not earmarked in the state budget for financing the expenditures of schools pursuant to a final court decision in connection to the payment of salaries and allowances, if the court process was initiated as a result of the omission or misconduct by the school or if the school is responsible for the passing of the final court decision against the school. In such cases the necessary funds will be secured by the school.

In the state budget, funds for co-financing are also secured: for the programmes for gifted children; education of children in the language and the script of national minorities; procurement of teaching, learning and ICT equipment, including special computer software and contents; equipping school libraries with compulsory reading materials; programmes of the common interest for the education sector (information systems, professional journals, professional books, programmes of institutions and professional associations, anniversaries and ceremonies, extracurricular programmes); other programmes in accordance with the decisions by the Croatian Parliament and the Croatian Government; and evaluation-based funding of schools whose founders are natural or other legal persons, in accordance with the criteria prescribed by the minister.

In the budget of local and regional government units, funds are allocated for the financing of schools whose founder is the Republic of Croatia or the local or regional government unit, for the purpose of: transport of single-structure education pupils, commuting allowances for the secondary school staff, other material rights granted under collective agreements (assistance allowance, severance payment, anniversary allowance, holiday allowance, Christmas and St Nicholas gift bonus); material and financial expenditures of schools, including expenses for the material, parts and services of the regular and investment maintenance, expenditures for the construction, annex construction and reconstruction of school facilities in accordance with the standards and norms prescribed by the minister, and in compliance with the national education standards.

The Government of the Republic of Croatia can, depending on the available budgetary funds, pass a decision for each school year on financing or co-financing of the transport of upper secondary school students. In that respect, the Government of the Republic of Croatia will adopt the requirements and the criteria regulating the right to the financing or co-financing of student transport.

In the budget of local and regional government units funds are allocated for the co-financing of student accommodation and meals in boarding homes. In the budget of local and regional government units, funds can also be allotted to co-finance: programmes for gifted children; education of children in the language and the script of national minorities; procurement of teaching, learning and ICT equipment; procurement of computer software; equipping school libraries with compulsory reading materials; programmes of the common interest for the education sector (information systems, professional journals, professional books, programmes of institutions and professional associations, anniversaries and ceremonies, extracurricular programmes); and for schools whose founders are natural or other legal persons, in accordance with the criteria prescribed by the local and regional government units.

Local and regional government units can also pass decisions regarding general public needs in school education for which they can earmark funds in their budgets, such as: salaries, allowances and contributions for the staff working in extended stay or full-day programmes for pupils in single structure education institutions; salaries, allowances and contributions for the staff working in the programmes held on non-teaching days; other expenditures for the staff employed in extended stay of full-day stay programmes in single structure schools stipulated in collective agreements; other expenditures for the staff working in the programmes held on non-teaching days stipulated in collective agreements; commuting allowance for the staff working in programmes held on non-teaching days; expenses of expert teams who assist schools with pupils with pupils with disabilities; cost of third-person liability insurance policies.

Each year, at the time of budget proposal drafting, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopts criteria and requirements ensuring the minimum financial standard required to meet the public needs stipulated in paragraph 1 of this article.

If the founder of the school is another legal or natural person, the founder is responsible for securing necessary funding for: salaries and allowances with contributions; other expenditures for the staff; material and financial expenditures of the school; and other necessary funds for the operation of the school.

The school is obliged to use the income from its own activity, the fees collected from the parents, as well as any donations and other funds for their designated purpose. Schools cannot be financed by funds from political parties.

Principal is the operational and professional leader of the school who, among other things, proposes a financial plan and the semi-annual and annual statement to the School Committee.

The School Board adopts the financial plan and the semi-annual and annual statement put forth by the principal. The school is managed by the school committee and boarding homes by the boarding home committee.

Collective agreements are regulated by the Labour Act, and are entered into by the employers and unions representing the workers. Collective agreements regulate the rights and the obligations of the contracting parties, and they may contain the legal provisions on the conclusion, content and termination of employment contracts, the workers’ council issues, social insurance and other employment related issues. Generally, collective agreements grant greater rights than those stipulated in the Labour Act or labour by-laws (Christmas allowance, St Nicholas gift bonus for children under 16, Easter gift, longer holiday than the holiday granted under the Labour Act, higher sick leave allowance for the first 42 days and a longer period of a paid sick leave than the one stipulated by health care provisions, ...). The provisions of the collective agreements apply equally to all employees, not only to union members.

Financial Autonomy and Control

Decentralisation of single structure (primary and lower secondary) education and upper secondary education conducted in 2011 engaged to some extent local and regional government units and counties in the organisation and funding of these services, but it did not lead to a significantly higher level of local autonomy.

The process did not include fiscal decentralisation, since the funds for these services continued to be allocated from the state budget. Since the decision-making process did not undergo decentralisation, no significant transfer of accountability took place. Competent ministries continued to be actual centres of power for these services, while about thirty towns and counties have the right to participate in the decision-making process and in additional funding of public institutions providing these services.

That means that, in addition to the pre-primary education as the segment of public education provision which municipalities and towns have long been responsible for, no other aspect of public service provision has been fully delegated to local and regional government units.

Regarding the extent in which educational institutions are able to acquire and manage different types of resources, preschool institutions are quite decentralized. The appointment and removal of principals, employment of pre-school teachers, professional staff and other employees is the responsibility of the pre-primary education institution, whereas the salaries of pre-school teachers and other staff are the responsibility of the municipality or the town. Defining criteria for the allocation of funds to meet public needs in pre-primary education is the responsibility of municipalities or towns.

As for the accountability of publicly funded education institutions, in accordance with the Act on the Financing of Local and Regional Government, the representative body of the local and regional government unit, independently, or with another party, if so stipulated in the statute, monitors the execution of the budget, financial transactions and the use of funds in accordance with their designated purpose. The municipal mayor, the town mayor or the county prefect monitors, in accordance with the statute, the financial, material and accounting affairs of the budgetary and non-budgetary beneficiaries of the local and regional government units with respect to the purpose, amount and the frequency of use of budget funds. The Ministry of Finance oversees the compliance with the law in the use of budget funds by the local and regional government units and their budgetary and non-budgetary beneficiaries. With respect to the funds allocated from the state budget, the Ministry of Finance monitors the compliance with the law and designated purpose in the use of budget funds by local and regional government units and their budgetary and non-budgetary beneficiaries.

Adoption of the criteria and benchmarks in ensuring the minimum financial standard for the realisation of public needs in single-structure and upper secondary education falls under the jurisdiction of the state. Securing funds for salaries, transportation, professional development and training and for other material rights granted under the collective agreement is under the jurisdiction of the state, while the counties and the institutions are responsible for covering the expenditures for construction, annex construction and reconstruction of school facilities and the equipment. The standards and norms for the listed capital investments are prescribed by the minister.

Monitoring and control of school institutions’ financial affairs is undertaken by the Ministry. Monitoring and control of the use of funds allocated from the state budget in accordance with their designated purpose is carried out by the Ministry, while monitoring and control of the use of funds allocated from the local budget and other sources in accordance with their designated purpose is carried out by the founder (the county or the municipality/town).

Fees within Public Education

In the Republic of Croatia, education is accessible to all, under equal conditions, in accordance with one’s abilities. Compulsory education is free, in accordance with the law.

On the pre-primary level, fees are charged to the parents-service beneficiaries, in accordance with the criteria set by the representative body of the competent local government unit, with the exception of the compulsory one-year pre-school education programme, which is free of charge and which constitutes the first of nine years of compulsory free education.

No fees are charged in the upper secondary education either, regardless of the branch of study concerned. On both of these levels of education, the expenditures for teacher salaries - accounting for the largest share of the expenditure in this sector - are fully covered from the central state budget.

Running costs as well as capital investments are covered from the local and regional units' budgets. Accommodation and meals in boarding homes as well as transport are secured for pupils in single structure education, and usually also for students in upper secondary education.

Pupils are entitled to accommodation and meals in boarding homes. Transport is secured for the pupils enrolled in single structure education, and for upper secondary education students in most cases as well. Before the economic crisis, the state covered the entire cost of textbooks, after which the co-financing or financing of textbooks was continued from the county budgets, i.e. the budget of the City of Zagreb.

Financial Support for Learners' Families

Meals and Accomodation

The right to accommodation and meals in a boarding home is generally accessible to all full-time school pupils. The admittance process is carried out on the basis of a public call. The right to admittance is granted based on the previous education record and pupil’s economic status and background. Education groups are organised in boarding homes in accordance with the national education standards. Detailed requirements with respect to the admittance of pupils, funding of the accommodation and meals in the boarding homes as well as the standards for the facilities and the equipment and the education programmes are prescribed by the minister in compliance with the national education standards.

The boarding home whose founder is another legal or natural person independently decides on the requirements for the admittance of pupils, the number of pupils in education groups and the expenses related to their boarding and meals. Single structure schools are responsible for securing meals for the pupils during their stay in the school, in accordance with the prescribed standards adopted by the ministry competent for health. The decision on the prices of accommodation and meals for the pupils in boarding homes is adopted annually. The maximum total monthly price of accommodation and meals for the upper secondary education students in 2015 was HRK 1,260.00.

Local and regional government units secure funds for subsidising accommodation and meals of the pupils in boarding homes, in accordance with the Primary and Secondary Education Act in the amount of HRK 630.00 a month per pupil. The difference to the full price of the accommodation and meals, up to HRK 630.00, is covered by the parents, caretakers or social service centres, as laid down in the agreement entered into by the beneficiary and the boarding home. Subsidy for meals and accommodation is granted to the pupils who are citizens of Croatia and who have permanent residence in Croatia. Pupils who are citizens of Croatia but do not have permanent residence in Croatia and foreign citizens pay the commercial price of accommodation and meals in the boarding home, unless it is otherwise arranged under a bilateral agreement.

Student Transport

The founder is obliged to organise transport of primary education pupils (1st – 4th grade) living further than three kilometres from the school. The founder shall also organise transport of lower secondary education pupils (5th – 8th grade), living further than five kilometres from the school. Transport is organised from the closest local or city line stop to school and back. If there is no local or city line running near the home, the founder shall decide the pick-up location.

For pupils with disabilities, transport is organised regardless of the distance. Transport of the pupil’s assistant is also organised in cases that an assistant is needed due to the type or the degree of disability, pursuant to the decision on adequate form of schooling. If a single structure education pupil enrols in a school other than the school which the pupil is assigned to, based on the catchment area, the founder is not obliged to cover the cost of the pupil’s transport. If a pupil does not enrol in a school in compliance with the state administration act, the founder is not responsible for covering the cost of transport. The government of the Republic of Croatia, on the basis of the available funds in the state budget, annually passes a decision on financing or co-financing of the transport of students of upper secondary education.

State-funded textbooks

The right to free textbooks is granted to full-time single structure education pupils, full-time upper secondary education students, full-time or part-time higher education students in Croatia who fall into one of the following categories: a child of a killed, captured or missing Homeland War Croatian soldier, disabled Croatian Homeland War veteran, a child of a disabled Croatian Homeland War veteran, a child of a deceased disabled Croatian Homeland War veteran, Croatian Homeland war veteran. The right to subsidised prices of textbooks and other additional learning materials is granted to single structure education pupils and upper secondary education students in Croatia who are members of a household which is a beneficiary of the granted minimum income allowance and a beneficiary of the social support, in accordance with social welfare provisions.

Financial Support for Families of Pupils with Special Educational Needs

Increased transport costs, special teaching and learning aids and the cost of meals and accommodation in a boarding home incurred during the education of pupils with disabilities as well as the costs of expert teams who assist teachers who work with special needs pupils are under the jurisdiction of the state.

In accordance with the decision on covering the increased transport costs and special teaching and learning aids for the education of students with developmental disabilities enrolled in upper secondary education programmes: students with developmental disabilities for whom public transport is not an adequate form of transport are entitled to the reimbursement of the cost of the adjusted transport, which can be organised as individualised transport by the parents, transport in a school vehicle or by a licensed transport company.

The listed forms of transport may be secured for pupils of special education institutions which are under the competence of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports as well as for the students of upper secondary education institutions whose founder is the Republic of Croatia or a local or regional government unit.

The student’s parent or caretaker submits a request for the compensation of the increased transport costs to the student’s school. The committee formed at the student’s school, consisting of the principal, an expert associate and a teacher adopts a decision on the need for an adjusted form of transport and an assistant for the student and submits the decision to the Ministry, together with the following documents: the student’s medical record, the decision on the adequate form of schooling (if the student attends an upper secondary education institution pursuant to a decision on the adequate form of schooling), the decision of the school committee and the arguments for the adjusted form of transport and the data on the exact distance covered daily (in kilometres), the data on the cost of the transport per kilometre, a draft agreement with the selected transport company (if services of a licensed transport company are requested). The request is considered by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport. The transport costs are paid monthly, and the school is obliged to submit the transport payment request for students with disabilities to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport, Directorate for Secondary Education by the 5th of the current month for the previous month.

Individualised transport by the parents

For the option of individualised transport by the parents, the Ministry reimburses the fuel expenses by travelled kilometres at the amount of: 10% of the commercial price of the fuel for the vehicle that the parent uses for the transport; 15% of the commercial price of the fuel if the parent uses the vehicle for transporting more than one student.

The total monthly number of kilometres is calculated by multiplying the number of school days in the given month and the number of kilometres travelled daily. Transport in a school vehicle designated for the transport of students: If the institution owns a vehicle for student transport, it is obliged to draw up a financial plan of transport costs at the beginning of the school period, containing the information on: the vehicle and the names of the students who are transported in the vehicle, the planned number of travelled kilometres on a daily basis, and the routes to be covered. On the basis of this information, the Ministry shall reimburse the fuel expenses. Transport by a licensed transport company: If transport by the parents or in a school vehicle is not possible, the Ministry can, at the committee’s proposal, reimburse the costs of the transport by a licensed transport company.

Cost of special learning and teaching aids

The Ministry provides funds for the increased expenses pertaining to the photocopied specialised textbook material as well as the increased costs of the teaching material for practical classes to the following institutions: special education institutions under the competence of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports; upper secondary education institutions whose founder is the Republic of Croatia, or local and regional government units pursuant to the approval by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports for the provision of programmes for students with developmental disabilities and the approval for the organisation of classes for students with developmental disabilities; upper secondary education schools whose founder is the Republic of Croatia or a unit of local or regional government who provide practical classes in their school workshops for students from other schools, i.e. the institutions which they entered into a cooperation agreement with.

The increased expenses shall be financed by the Ministry in the monthly amount of HRK 10.00 per student for the provision of practical classes in the school’s own workshops; HRK 15.00 per student to the school that provides practical classes for the students from other schools in one’s own school workshop. At the beginning of a school year, the institutions must request the approval for the funding of the increased expenses for special learning and teaching aids from the Ministry – the Directorate for Secondary Education. Enclosed to the request, the following must be delivered:

• the approval by the Ministry of Science and Education for the provision of programmes for children with developmental disabilities;
• the decision on adequate form of schooling for the students in a class following a special programme, i.e. a school workshop group;
• data on the number of students in the given school year.

Based on the information stated in the request, the Ministry shall reimburse the increased cost of the special teaching and learning aids.

Funding of these expenses for the pupils in single- structure education programmes is based on the decision on the funding criteria for increased expenses for transport and special teaching and learning aids and props and co-funding of meals for pupils with developmental disabilities in single structure education programmes. Increased expenses pertain to pupils with developmental disabilities: in special education institutions, in schools providing single structure education which, pursuant to a decision by the State Administration Office, i.e. the City Office for Education, Culture and Sports, have special classes for pupils with developmental disabilities and/or groups attending an extended professional programme. For the students with developmental disabilities who have been integrated in regular classes in single structure education schools, the increased transport expenses are financed.

Increased transport expenses for pupils with special educational needs

For pupils with developmental disabilities for whom a decision on the adequate form of schooling has been issued, transport expenses are covered, including those for the pupil’s chaperone, in cases where a chaperone is needed due to the type or the degree of disability. The decision on the need for a chaperone shall be passed by the committee of the single structure education school or the special education institution, consisting of the principal, expert associate and a teacher.

The expenses for the transport of the pupil’s chaperone shall be covered in their entirety in the following cases: for chaperones of pupils in grades 1-4 and 5-8, if the chaperone is absolutely necessary due to the type and the degree of the pupil’s disability. Regular expenses of transport of pupils with disabilities which can be organised using public transport (tram, bus, train, ship) shall be funded from the town’s or the county’s budget.

The committee may propose an adjusted form of transport, taking into account the price of the transport and the type and the degree of pupil’s disability, if public transport is not adequate considering the type and the degree of disability. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports reimburses the fuel expenses by travelled kilometres at the amount of: 10% of the commercial price of the fuel for the vehicle that the parent uses for the transport of the pupil; 15% of the commercial price of the fuel if the parent uses the vehicle to transport more than one pupil. The total monthly number of kilometres is calculated by multiplying the number of school days in the given month and the number of kilometres travelled daily. The committee submits the Decision on the adequate form of schooling (individualised transport by the parents) to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports – Directorate for the Standard, Strategies and Special Programmes, and, if a special type of adjusted transport is requested, a draft agreement for the proposed adjusted transport is also submitted for the approval.

After the approval is granted, the school or the special education institution concludes the agreement with the licensed transport company. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports secures funds for special transport costs in case that a pupil commutes from another county at the value of the least expensive pupil and chaperon monthly pass, as determined by the school committee, and approved by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. If the school or the special education institution own vans for the transport of pupils, they must draw up a financial plan of transport costs for pupils with developmental disabilities at the beginning of the school period, and submit it to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports – Directorate for the Standard, Strategies and Special Programmes. The financial plan should contain the names of all the pupils to be transported in a van, the planned number of kilometres travelled daily and the routes for the transport of the pupils.

Transport expenses are paid monthly, and the school must submit the request for payment of the expenses for the transport of pupils with disabilities to the administrative departments for social affairs of the counties and towns which have take over funding of decentralised functions of single structure education, no later than the 5th day of each month for the previous month, and the administrative department for social affairs forwards the request to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports by the 10th day of each month for the previous month. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports secures funds for the increased transport expenses on the basis of the request.

Special teaching and learning aids and props

The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports shall secure the monthly amount of HRK 50.00 per pupil to the abovementioned institutions for the photocopying material (photocopying of the specialised textbooks), didactical material and additional hygiene and cleaning materials and HRK 25.00 per pupil in schools which organise a programme of an extended professional programme.

Co-financing of pupils’ meals The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports co-finances a part of the cost of food for the abovementioned institutions at the amount of HRK 3.50 a day per pupil for breakfast, and, in case that an extended professional programme is organise, HRK 6.50 a day per pupil for lunch. Exceptionally, the Ministry co-finances a third meal in the amount of HRK 3.50 HRK a day per pupil to the Autism Centre in Zagreb, due to the specific type of programme it provides. Schools or special education institutions submit the request to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports – Directorate for the Standard, Strategies and Special Programmes for the financing of the stationary, together with a list of pupils placed in the stationary, as well as the number of days spent in the stationary, by the 5th day of the month for the previous month. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports secures funds for special teaching and learning aids and props and for meals subsidies on the basis of the data of the Directorate of the Standard, Strategies and Special Programmes on the number of pupils and schools that provide programmes for pupils with developmental difficulties in a given school year.

Financial Support for Learners

Scholarships are offered to learners of all education levels at institutional (universities), local (municipalities, towns), regional and national levels, depending on the available funds and learners’ needs. Private companies, associations and foundations also offer scholarships to pupils and students, and scholarships are also available under the EU-funded projects. The criteria for awarding scholarships and their amounts vary, depending on the needs. Below listed are only few of the available options.

The Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts is in charge of the implementation of the ENTRERENEURIAL IMPULSE – MEASURE D2 – Education for Professionals. The funds earmarked in the budget for the implementation of this measure are HRK 7,300,000.00, and one of the activities under this measure is D2.2 – Scholarships for crafts and trades. The maximum amount of the individual monthly student grant was HRK 500.00 in the school year 2014/15 (1 September 2014 – 31 August 2015).

Croatia for the Children Foundation

Croatia for the Children Foundation announces a public call, under which it awards 500 scholarships to full-time students of upper secondary schools. The monthly scholarship is HRK 700.00. The beneficiary of the Foundation’s grant is, as stipulated in the Croatia for the Children Foundation Act: a household with five or more children and/or a child from such a household, a family with a permanent registered address in an area of a special state concern and/or a child from such a family, a family with a permanent registered address in a sparsely populated island or in a hilly or mountain area and/or a child from such a family, a family of a single parent as specified in social care regulations and/or a child from such a family, a child without a parent and a child without parental care entitled to the rights granted under social care regulations, a family, pregnant woman, new mother, mother and/or a child exposed to high health risks and risks of educational, social and cultural exclusion pursuant to the evaluation by the Foundation’s committee.

The students eligible to apply to the public call have to meet the following requirements: citizenship of the Republic of Croatia with a minimum uninterrupted period of registered permanent address in the Republic of Croatia of three years by the date of the application, average monthly income in the previous calendar year per a member of the household, including all the family members and the child from the family, should not exceed 80% of the budgetary basis stipulated in the State Budget Execution Act for the given year and that an average monthly income per household member should not have exceeded the amount equal to 80% of the budgetary basis in the current year, during the period of three months preceding the application, that the applicant is not a beneficiary of another scholarship or grant for the purpose of education. The right to a scholarship during upper secondary education may be granted to a student who meets the following criteria: the status of a full-time student in upper secondary education, in accordance with relevant by-laws; regular fulfilment of school obligations and regular progression through education (without retention), completion of the final year of the single structure education with the minimum average grade of 3.5 in case that the student is in the first year of upper secondary education, i.e. average grade of 3.0 during the completed upper secondary education.

Scholarships of the National Foundation for the Support of Students’ Standard

The scholarships are awarded in several categories: HE students of shortage professions and occupations – 310 scholarships, persons with disabilities – 60 scholarships; Roma national minority members – 34 scholarships; active categorised athletes – 10 scholarships; HE students who were placed in foster homes or foster families before the age of 18 – 10 scholarships; students enrolled in undergraduate music and art study programmes in Croatia – gifted young artists – 14 scholarships.

Student Loans

Pupils and students have access to student loans which are offered by almost all the banks. Local and regional government units can agree subsidised loans or reduced interest rates on student loans. Similar incentives are present at the university level, where universities make such agreements independently, or in cooperation with the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, the county or the town. On the Croatian marker, interest rates on student loans, including those subsidised by the local government, range between 4.5 and 8.5 percent.

An example of a regional government incentive is the Varaždin County, which entered into agreement with a bank on reduced-interest loans for pupils and students. The subsidy of interest rates and the level of subsidy in based on the student’s performance in the study programme for which the loan was issued, as follows: for the average grade between 4.00 and 4.49, 80% of the interest on the issued loan is funded, and for the average grade between 4.50 and 5.00, 100% of the interest on the issued student loan is funded.

The average grade is calculated as the mean value of all the grades awarded during the study programme (including the final/diploma paper). The subsidised interest is granted to the beneficiaries of reduced-interest student loans who also meet the following criteria: that their right to a full-time enrolment in the study programme was not abolished by a competent body, that their right to further use of the reduced-interest student loan was not terminated, that they have completed the study programme within the planned study period and graduated within 6 months as of the end of the academic year (30 September) in which the student enrolled in the final semester.

Mobility

As for the mobility, there are no possibilities for mobility of students of general primary and secondary education under the programmes implemented by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes.

Private Education

All education institutions are founded in accordance with the Institution Act and the provisions regulating the pre-primary, single structure and upper secondary education. The organisation of private school organisations, i.e. religious community schools, is subject to the Institution Act and the provisions regulating the pre-primary, single structure and upper secondary education as well as the articles of association.

If the founder of the school is another legal or natural person, it shall secure funds for the financing of: salaries and allowances with contributions, other staff expenditures, material and financial expenditures of the school and other necessary materials necessary for the operation of the school.

On the pre-primary level, the most common owners of private ECEC institutions are private individuals and NGOs. Also, several larger companies are providing their own ECEC facilities for their employees. According to the National Bureau of Statistic’s official annual gazette, among 134,000 children included in ECEC programs, about 17,500 of them (~13%) are in private institutions. There were around 300 private kindergartens (~20%) out of 1590 in total. On the level of single structure primary and lower secondary education, there are just 7 private schools, out of some 2,000 in total. Among these, there are schools providing Montessori, Waldorf and international programmes. According to the National Bureau of Statistic’s official annual gazette, in 2015, out of 325,000 single structure school pupils, less that 550 of them (<0,2%) attended private schools. On the level of upper secondary education, according to the National Bureau of Statistic’s official annual gazette, in 2015, there were 43 private schools (5.8%), out of 740 in total, which provided education services for over 2,000 students (1.3%).

The number of pre-primary institutions (kindergartens) whose founder is a religious community is 50, out of which 48 were founded by the Catholic Church, 1 is Evangelist and 1 Jewish. The 50 kindergartens accommodate about 3,700 pre-school children. The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports currently finances eight general education single structure Catholic schools, one single structure music school and one single structure Jewish school. Within the upper secondary education system, 16 religious education institutions have been operational: the Catholic Church is the founder of 12 of them, and founders of the remaining institutions, one for each, are as follows: Baptist Union of Croatia /Baptist Church with the pastoral seat in Čakovec, The Meshihat of Muslim Community, Zagreb-Ljubljana Eparchy and Christian Adventist Church in Croatia.

The Ministry of Science, Education and Sports financed private schools in the period 2001 – 2011. Following the budget revision in 2009, the financing of private schools was reduced. In 2010, the budget activities from which private primary and secondary schools were financed were left out, and the activity for the funding of alternative schools remained in the budget. The programmes of three alternative schools continued to be co-funded: Waldorf School in Rijeka, Waldorf School in Zagreb and Montessori School in Zagreb. The co-financing of private schools is carried out by dividing the total amount earmarked for that purpose in the budget by the total number of pupils that applied and by dividing that amount by the number of months. These schools charge fees from the beneficiaries, which differ between single structure education and upper secondary education levels. The fees in private schools range between 26,000 and 36,000 per a school year . Financial support to families is not provided.

Before a school whose activities and provision is not financed from the state budget in none of its segments is founded, the school founder is not required to request an approval by the Ministry. Also, schools, i.e. education programmes, which are not financed in any part of its content or provision from the state budget, can be adopted and provided even if they have not been planned under the school network[1], if all the legal requirements have been met. Financial monitoring and control of the school is undertaken by the Ministry.

As for the financing of religious community schools, pursuant to the Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Government and the Croatian Bishops’ Conference entered into an agreement on Catholic single-structure and upper secondary education schools, whereby the Croatian Government undertook to allocate funds from the state budget for the salaries, allowances and contributions, as well as other material right of the staff agreed under the collective agreement, for the staff of schools founded by the Catholic Church of the Republic of Croatia following the approval of the bishop of the relevant dioceses. Although no agreements have been concluded for other religious communities, the Republic of Croatia ensures the abovementioned funds for them too. In terms of management, based on the mentioned agreement, the founder of a Catholic school is entitled to appoint and remove the principal of the school (otherwise, it is the duty of the school committee to appoint the principal and relieve him/her of his/her duty) and is obliged to adhere to the canon law of the Catholic Church in the process of the employment of teachers. Catholic schools independently decide on the matters related to the admittance (enrolment) of pupils (other schools are obliged to follow the enrolment procedure) and approve the school’s code of conduct in accordance with the legal provisions and in accordance with the fundamental principles of Catholic education.