November 18, 2020 – According to the EU Cohesion policy, the European Commission has approved an investment worth more than €150 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) to integrate innovative digital technologies in Croatia’s education system.
The project e-Schools will roll out a comprehensive ICT infrastructure, provide state-of-the-art IT equipment, develop educational software and connect students and teachers in 1166 public primary and secondary schools throughout the country. CARNET’s regional hubs in Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka and Split, as well as county hubs, will be upgraded. Schools will get computers, and every school will have an interactive classroom with an interactive display and tablets for students and other equipment according to their needs. This unique national network will improve conditions for teaching and learning and make the management of schools more efficient and transparent. At the same time, students and teachers will benefit from targeted training to upgrade their e-skills. The project is worth more than €177 million, and over €150 million are EU funds.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, commented: “Thanks to EU Cohesion policy, Croatia’s education system will be able to fully reap the benefits of the digital era and better prepare young people for their professional future. This project also contributes to boosting the resilience of the sector during the coronavirus pandemic.” The project builds on a successful pilot phase, which has already helped over 150 Croatian schools to switch to a new level of education. It also received the award for ‘Skills & education for a digital Europe’, which has helped 10% of Croatian schools and around 50,000 teachers and 500,000 students to switch to a new level of education. In the current programming period 2014-2020, Cohesion policy is investing in Croatia €8.5 billion in boosting competitiveness, sustainability and improving the quality of life of Croatian citizens. A factsheet is available here.
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