2022

Ordinance on Conditions and Manner of Exercising the Right to a State Scholarship on the Basis of Socioeconomic Status

In order to grant state scholarships in the academic year 2021/2022, based on the implementation of the project Awarding scholarships for students of lower socioeconomic status in the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020, a new Ordinance on Conditions and Manner of Exercising the Right to State Scholarship on the Basis of Socioeconomic Status was published in the Official Gazette No. 106/2021  

Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2022

Pursuant to Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Student Affairs Act (Official Gazette, No. 96/2018 and 16/2020), the Minister of Science and Education issues a Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2022, which came into force on January 1, 2022.

2021

SIDERAL project – Social and International Dimension of Education and Recognition of Prior Learning  

The Ministry of Science and Education organized the final conference of the Erasmus+ project SIDERAL - Social and International Dimension of Education and Recognition of Acquired Learning on July 7, 2021. 

The project addressed the social dimension in higher education and the recognition of prior learning as a tool supporting inclusion. The project partners were the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) and the European Students Union (ESU). The aim of the project was to support the implementation of the National Plan for Enhancing the Social Dimension of Higher Education in the Republic of Croatia 2019-2021, which included publishing a study on vulnerable and underrepresented groups of students, developing a methodology for collecting data on the educational and professional pathways of students, and, in cooperation with the European Students’ Union, a study of students’ experience in online learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project also co-funded the Bologna Follow-up Group Advisory Group on Social Dimension, and through conferences, peer learning activities and working groups actively contributed to comprehensive European and national debates on the social inclusion and recognition of prior learning in higher education.

Law on Amendments to the Law on the Croatian Qualifications Framework (CROQF) 

On 19 February 2021, at the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Act Amending the Act on the Croatian Qualifications Framework (hereinafter: the Act) was adopted. The Act was published in the Official Gazette on 26 February 2021 (No. 20/2021) and entered into force on the first day after its publication in the Official Gazette in accordance with Article 18. The law comprehensively regulates relevant issues related to the CROQF and the improvement of the qualification system at all educational levels.

In connection with the Decision of the Constitutional Court No. UI-2854/2018 and UI-2855/2018 of March 2020 (Official Gazette, No. 47/2020), the Act regulates the placement of qualifications acquired by completing professional studies at levels CROQF, in a way that clearly distinguishes the levels of qualifications acquired upon completion of professional and university studies, while accepting their value and diversity.

Therefore, instead of eleven levels of full qualifications, as was the case in the previous regulation, the Act introduced thirteen levels. The qualifications acquired upon completion of undergraduate professional studies are placed at the level of the 6-professional study, and the qualifications acquired upon completion of undergraduate university studies are placed at the level of the 6-university study. Qualifications acquired upon completion of specialist graduate professional studies are placed at the level of 7.1. professional study, and qualifications acquired upon completion of university graduate studies and integrated undergraduate and graduate university studies at the level of 7.1. university study.

Furthermore, the Act introduced additional changes that were deemed necessary for the effective further development and implementation of the CROQF. This includes primarily changes related to the allocation of competencies to existing agencies in the education system, procedures for evaluation and adoption of occupational standards and qualification standards, the role of sectoral councils, as well as the appointment and dismissal of presidents and members of the National Human Resources Development Council.

This aims to improve efficiency, simplify and speed up the procedures for entering occupational standards and qualification standards in the CROQF Register, and improve their applicability and quality. In doing so, the direct participation of stakeholders in the CROQF processes will be strengthened and the existing resources in the education system will be strengthened and more involved.  

Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2021

Pursuant to Article 12, paragraph 3 of the Student Affairs Act (Official Gazette, No. 96/2018 and 16/2020), the Minister of Science and Education issued a Decision on the amount of the minimum fee for performing student work for 2021, which came into force on January 1, 2021. The decision prescribes the minimum fee for performing student work in 2021 HRK 26.56 per hour.

BAQUAL - Better Academic Qualifications through Quality Assurance

In June 2020, the Ministry of Science and Education started the implementation of the project BAQUAL - Better Academic Qualifications through Quality Assurance, which aims to encourage the application of the qualifications framework in internal and external quality assurance procedures in higher education in three countries: Croatia, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia.

All three countries have adopted relevant legislation to implement and make full use of the qualifications framework to ensure and increase the quality of higher education within the objectives and principles of the European Higher Education Area.

As part of the project, each country will develop one qualification standard, update an existing or develop a new study or education program, i.e., a program for acquiring competencies, and finally conduct a "test" external evaluation of the program in accordance with European standards and quality assurance guidelines. The three countries participating in the project will support each other in exchanging experiences and will rely on consulting with countries that have more experience in developing qualification standards and using them in quality assurance.

The project will also use the Guidelines for the development of qualification standards and the Guidelines for the harmonization of study programs with qualification standards and the development of new study programs harmonized with the Croatian qualifications framework.

Implementation of the project began in June 2020 and will last until May 2022.

2020

Public consultations on the Preliminary Assessment form on the Amendments to the Croatian Qualification Framework Act

The Ministry of Science and Education opened public consultations in April 2020 on the Preliminary Assessment form on the Amendments to the Croatian Qualification Framework Act. In May final report on the outcome of public consultations was published.

Selected projects for the improvement of the quality and representation of traineeships in higher education

In March 2020 the Ministry of Science and Education announced that 28 projects were selected within the Call for Proposals for 'Development, Improvement and Implementation of Traineeship in Higher Education' (Razvoj, unapređenje i provedba stručne prakse u visokom obrazovanju). EU and national funds were secured for the implementation (100 million HRK) within the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020. Projects will be implemented by 28 higher education institutions. In addition, 51 partner organizations will be involved in the implementation of the projects. In the selected projects, more than 10,000 students will participate in activities for the improvement of mentoring and traineeship system and implementation of traineeship.

Amendments to the Student Employment Act 

In February 2020 the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted the amendments to the Student Employment Act (Zakon o obavljanju studentskih poslova, Official Gazette 96/18, 16/20) in order to regulate the students’ rights to enter the labour market through a Student Service.

Altering the definition of the student, the Act enables international students from outside the EU Member States and exchange students to enter the labour market through a Student Service.

The amendments to the Student Employment Act define student as it follows:

• person attending undergraduate university, integrated undergraduate and graduate university studies, graduate university studies, short professional studies, undergraduate professional studies and specialist graduate professional studies at higher education institutions in the Republic of Croatia
• exchange student at a higher education institution in the Republic of Croatia; 
• a national of the Republic of Croatia, a national of a Member State of the European Union, of the European Economic Area and of the Swiss Confederation resident in the Republic of Croatia, studying at a higher education institution outside the Republic of Croatia.  

Public consultations on the proposal of the Ordinance on Catalogues and Databases in Higher Education

Ministry of Science and Education opened public consultations at the beginning of January 2019 on the proposal of the Catalogues and Databases in Higher Education. The proposal of the Ordinance prescribes the content, database maintenance, data reporting from catalogues and databases collected by higher education institutions for the Ministry of Science and Education. Public consultations were open until the beginning of March 2020.