The monitoring of work in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, student dormitories and other institutions and legal entities which conduct education activity or part of it on the basis of approval, accreditation, agreement or other corresponding act of the Ministry, is conducted by education inspectors. They are employed at the Independent Inspection Sector, an independent body within the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports. School inspectorate supervises the implementation of laws and other regulations that regulate the organization and the method of operation of pre-school institutions and schools as well as commencement and termination of employment, exercising of employment rights and obligations, dealing with real and legal interests of pupils/students and their parents, and achieving transparent functioning of the mentioned institutions. It also performs supervision related to the application of regulations stipulated in collective agreements, processes the appeals against the monitoring decisions issued by the Ministry within its scope of competence. Inspectorate has subsidiaries in three major cities (Split, Rijeka and Osijek).

Professional-pedagogical supervision over pre-school teachers and expert associates' work is implemented within the scope of the Ministry responsible for education and is performed by expert supervisors and other professionals authorized by the minister responsible for education. The method of performing professional-pedagogical supervision as well as rights, duties and authorities of expert supervisors and other persons authorized for professional-pedagogical supervision, is regulated by separate law.

During the inspection, the inspector determines the following:

1. if the business activities are performed in accordance with the Founding Act and the registration in the Court Register as well as with the approval for commencement of work and implementation of educational programme,
2. if the statute has been agreed upon according to prescribed procedure, with prescribed conformity and if it is compliant with law and other regulations and the Founding Act,
3. if other general acts are compliant with law, other regulations, the statute and the Founding Act,
4. if the provisions of the Founding Act, the statute or other general acts that govern public services are made available to general public,
5. if the annual work planning of the supervised institution and its employees is in conformity with law, other regulations and general acts of the mentioned institutions and if the work has been performed according to the plan,
6. if the daily, weekly or annual organization of work is implemented in accordance with the annual work plan and law and other regulations,
7. if the national educational standard or other standards and regulations that regulate educational activities are implemented,
8. if the enrolment and withdrawal of children, pupils/students and other participants are conducted in accordance with law, other regulations, general act, competition and with the approval of the competent authority and if the pupils/students' rights and obligations are exercised upon enrolment and withdrawal,
9. if the number of classes, educational groups and the number of pupils/students in a class or an educational group is in compliance with law, other regulations and standards,
10. if the pupils’/students' workload, including lessons and other forms of direct educational activities, is in conformity with law, other regulations, standards and the curriculum,
11. if the obligation of monitoring pupils’/students' work and progress and regular assessment is fulfilled and if the final mark is drawn from information on pupil/student monitoring and assessment during lessons,
12. if the procedure of praising and rewarding pupils/students as well as pronouncing disciplinary measures is implemented in accordance with law, other regulations, the statute or general act,
13. if the employees of the supervised institution treat pupils/students and their parents or guardians in conformity with their obligations and responsibilities,
14. if the obligations are fulfilled towards parents in relation to cooperation and reporting on pupils’/students’ scores, progress and behaviour,
15. if pupils/students i.e. their parents are charged for prescribed purposes and if those funds are purposefully spent, in accordance with law, other regulations, general act and annual work plan,
16. if the pupils’/students' organizations and clubs are established in the supervised institution according to law, other regulations or general act,
17. if the pupils’/students' nutrition, school trips, excursions and other prescribed activities are implemented in conformity with law, other regulations, general act, annual work plan and curriculum,
18. if report cards, pupils’/students’ record books, school certificates and other public documents on completed education and other facts are issued in accordance with law, other regulations and general act,
19. if the following activities are performed based on prescribed standards and regulations and in accordance with law, other regulations and general act:
    1. establishing workforce needs, acquiring conformities, publication of ads or competitions, choosing candidates, commencement of employment, task scheduling for the jobs employees were hired for, assigning tasks in conformity with employment contract,
    2. establishing termination of workforce needs, ensuring their rights, termination of employment contract and termination of employment,
    3. recruiting without public advertising, that is, without competition.
    4. commencement of temporary employment and termination of employment.
20. if the rights, obligations and responsibilities deriving from employment are realized in accordance with law, other regulation and general act of the supervised institution, especially the right to perform work under employment contract, in accordance with stipulations, the right to annual leave, notice period and severance pay, obligations and responsibilities of performing tasks under employment contract and other obligations and liabilities in relation to those tasks,
21. if employment contracts contain all necessary stipulations and if the supervised institution and its employee act accordingly upon establishing employee’s rights and obligations in conformity with those stipulations,
22. if the appointment of the principal or other school manager and expert director has been carried out properly and within the prescribed procedure,
23. if the principal or expert manager fulfils his/her duties and obligations
24. if the composition, appointment method or election and legislative period of the Governing Council or other collegial body that governs the supervised institution (hereinafter referred to as: School Board) is in conformity with law, other regulation, the Founding Act and the statute,
25. if the establishment and composition of expert and other bodies of the supervised institution is in compliance with law, other regulation, the Founding Act, the statute and general act,
26. if the principal and collegial bodies' work of the supervised institution is in conformity with regulation and the annual work plan and if decisions and other respective acts are adopted according to law and other regulation, the statute and other general act,
27. if the prescribed pedagogical records as well as documentation and records in relation to employment are kept in accordance with law and other regulation,
28. if records are properly managed,
29. if there are unapproved textbooks or additional teaching resources in use,
30. if the law on limitation and prohibition of tobacco products is implemented,
31. if there is a promotion or sale of products that aren't in compliance with educational goals in primary and secondary schools and student dormitories respectively,
32. if other conditions and operation methods of the supervised institution are in conformity with law and other regulation.

First level inspection is conducted by education inspectors and senior education inspectors, while the second degree inspection is conducted by committee members appointed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia from the line of persons complying with the conditions for senior education inspector and authorised to conduct inspection.

Professional and pedagogical supervisions conducted by civil servants with the title of school supervisors or senior school supervisor. The title of school supervisor or senior school supervisor is equal to the title of advisor or senior advisor. Professional and pedagogical supervision may be conducted by a person who is not a civil servant but complies with the legal requirements for school supervisor.

Professional and pedagogical supervision includes:

• review of the school's annual plan and programme implementation,
• immediate monitoring of teaching and other forms of educational work,
• review of pedagogical records and documentation,
• interviews with pupils, parents, teachers and members of school professional bodies.

In conducting professional and pedagogical supervision the school supervisor especially supervises:

• school's annual plan and programme implementation and realisation
• organisation and planning of teaching and other forms of educational work,
• professional use of textbooks, teaching aid and equipment,
• compliance with pedagogical, methodical and didactical requirement and standards,
• conducting tests and student assessment.

Besides these tasks, the school supervisor also:

• suggests measures for improvement of the education system,
• suggests measures for improvement of school work organisation, planning and methods,
• provides professional assistance to teachers and caters for their professional and pedagogical training,
• monitors the results of school’s educational work and pupils/students’ level of acquired knowledge and skills,
• encourages pupils/students competitions and monitors experimental programmes implementation,
• evaluates the functionality of school facilities and equipment and suggests measures for their modernisation,
• monitors the work of school’s professional bodies.

Requirements for Appointment

The job of education inspector may be performed by a person who has completed a graduate university study programme or an integrated undergraduate and graduate university study programme or a four-year professional study programme for primary school teachers earning 240 ECTS credits or a specialist graduate professional study programme according to former regulations, which has professional knowledge and experience working in the area of education or law and administration for at least four years and has passed an education inspector state exam.

The job of senior education inspector may be performed by a person who has completed a graduate university study programme or an integrated undergraduate and graduate university study programme or a four-year professional study programme for primary school teachers earning 240 ECTS credits or a specialist graduate professional study programme according to former regulations, which has professional knowledge and experience working in the area of education or law for at six four years and has passed education inspector state exam. This job can be performed by a person who has not passed an education inspector state exam conditioned that he/she passes the exam within six months from the end of trial period. If he/she fails to do that, his employment is terminated on the day which is the deadline for passing the exam.

School supervisor can be a person who, besides meeting general conditions for admission to civil service, has:

• adequate higher education qualification and pedagogical and psychological education,
• at least ten years of experience working in education.

Senior school supervisor may be a person who, besides meeting the aforementioned conditions, has at least 15 years of experience working in education.

Adequate type of education for the school supervisor is prescribed by the Minister.

The school supervisor is independent in his or her work and is held responsible if he/she fails to conduct supervision or if he/she oversteps his/her authorities set out in the relevant act.

Conditions of Service

School inspectors and school supervisors are civil servants. Their status, conditions of service and salaries are defined by the rules applying to civil servants.

Admission

Posts may be filled only in compliance with the internal organisational rules and according to the adopted civil service recruitment plan. Vacant posts in the civil service are filled by means of public vacancy competitions, internal vacancy announcement, advancement or transfer. Public vacancy competition is published in the official Gazette, posted on the web site of the body announcing vacancy, web-site of the central State authority responsible for civil service affairs and it can be published in a daily periodical. Prior to release of a public vacancy announcement for admission, a vacant post may be filled from among the ranks of civil servants by an internal vacancy announcement or transfer.

Conditions for Admission to the Civil Service are the possession of the necessary level of education, knowledge and work experience in his/her function, except in the case of admission of interns, suitable health to perform the tasks of the post to which he/she is assigned, Croatian citizenship. The admission of persons who are foreign citizens or persons without Croatian citizenship to the civil service require, over and above the conditions stipulated by separate legislation, the prior approval of the central State authority responsible for civil service affairs.

Besides these conditions, a separate law, directive or internal decree on the internal order of a State body may stipulate special and other conditions for admission to the civil service.

Bars to Admission

Admission to the civil service is barred for persons who are subject to criminal prosecution or who have been convicted of an offence against life and the human body, against human and civil freedoms and rights, against the Republic of Croatia, against the values protected under the international law, of a sex offence, an offence against marriage, family, youths, against property, against legal trade and transaction security, against judiciary, against identification documents authenticity, against public order, against official duty, unless rehabilitation treatment has been initiated in accordance with a special act. Admission to the civil service is also barred for persons who were expelled from the civil service due to severe violations of official duties, for a period of four years after expulsion from civil service and to those expelled from the civil service due to unsatisfactory performance during the trial period for a period of four years since departure from the civil service.

Trial Period

As a rule civil servants are admitted to the civil service for a non-fixed term, with mandatory performance of trial work. The trial period for persons admitted to the civil service in standard procedures (interns) has a duration of 12 months while the trial period for persons admitted to the civil service in extraordinary procedures have a duration of 3 months. A civil servant who receives a satisfactory evaluation in trial work is obliged to take the civil service examination within a period not to exceed six months after expiry of the trial period. If he/she fails to take the civil service examination within this period the civil service will cease upon expiry of the last day of the period determined for taking the examination.

Advancement

Advancement in the civil service is achieved by promotion of a civil servant to a higher category of post either within the same category of post at a higher function or by transfer to a higher category. A civil servant may be promoted in a regular or extraordinary procedure. he/she may be promoted if his/her work is evaluated as “outstanding” or “excellent” at least twice consecutively or “successful” at least three years consecutively or with higher grade; if there is a vacant post to which the civil servant in promotion procedure can be assigned, if he/she applies to be assigned to an available post and meets all formal criteria for assignment. Civil servant who does not meet the related working experience condition may advance through extraordinary procedure if he/she meets the extraordinary advancement conditions stipulated by the Government directive.

Education and Teacher Training Agency also has a role in monitoring the quality of education given its role to provide professional and advisory services in education It participates in monitoring, improvement and development of education in the areas of pre-school, primary and secondary-school education, adult education, education of the children of Croatian citizens abroad, and children of foreign citizens. The working tasks and responsibilities of the Agency's education advisers include among others organising and implementing of continuous professional development for teaching staff, license examinations for teachers and school-counsellors, reviewing and giving opinion on general education programmes, monitoring the development and implementation of Croatian National Educational Standard as a part of the national curriculum, lesson observation and teacher evaluation, etc.