ZAGREB, April 22, 2018 – Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenković said on Saturday that the education reform was a priority for the HDZ and his cabinet, and that in the steps to come in that regard, various approaches and opinions would be included so that the education process has long term stability considering that it concerns children whose parents have differing worldviews and beliefs.
Addressing members of the HDZ party’s Academic Community that reelected Ivica Kostović as its head, Plenković said that education was the generator of developing human potential in Croatia and that it was a common good and strategic priority.
According to Plenković, a key challenge in education is to reform the school system which started more than a decade ago and with the adoption of a framework curriculum in 2011, conditions were created to implement more profound reforms in the education system at the national level. He concluded that it is necessary to use everything that was good in achievements and experiences until now while implementing the reform.
Apart from taking into account various approaches and opinions in the steps to come, the government intends to adopt curriculum documents based on social consensus that will secure legal and financial support to implement the reform of the school system. “We are aspiring to reach agreement because we are aware that people, with their skills and knowledge, are our wealth and drivers of economic growth and a better quality life in Croatia,” Plenković said and added that all that required time, tact and common sense.
While preparing the reform, it is essential that all stakeholders contribute to building the foundations to educate and raise new generations because children need to gain knowledge that is adapted to the demands of a contemporary world, he added.
Commenting on two referendums that have been announced as a possibility, on the election law and on repealing the Istanbul Convention, Plenković said that the entire debate about the convention needs to concentrate on the essence of the convention. He said that he clearly presented the experiences of other countries in parliament.
He underscored that he would do everything so that the implementation of the convention adheres to the interpretive statement and that everyone who in their debates on that topic spoke about some other worldview issues should realise that the convention is dedicated to its essence. He added that he clearly said this to the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland during his recent visit to Croatia.
