Page 17 - Šolsko polje, XXX, 2019, št. 5-6: Civic, citizenship and rhetorical education in a rapidly changing world, eds. Janja Žmavc and Plamen Mirazchiyski
P. 17
Civic and citizenship education
in the Republic of Croatia:
20 years of implementation
Ines Elezović
Introduction: General characteristics of Croatia
and its schooling system
The Republic of Croatia is the Central European and Mediterranean
country that gained its independence in 1991 after the breakdown
of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. According to the
latest census (2011), the overall population of Croatia was over four mil-
lion people but due to the constant emigration flows and negative popu-
lation growth in recent years, current estimates indicate that this number
is below four million inhabitants in 2019. The majority of the population
is of Croatian nationality (90%) with 10 national minority groups name-
ly recognized by the Constitution of which the Serbian minority is the
largest (4%), followed by Italian, Bosnian, Hungarian, Albanian, Roma
etc. minority. The most represented religion is Catholic (86%), 4% are Or-
thodox and 1,5% of Muslim religion (2011 census data). The Croatian lan-
guage with Latin letters is formal language and letter. National minori-
ties can have their language, letter and culture acknowledged within the
schooling system in the form of three programs for which each school can
apply: Model A – national minority school with a complete program in
the language and letter of the minority, Model B – school in which class-
es are dual taught, only social science subjects are taught in the minority
language and all other subjects are taught in the Croatian language and
Model C – a regular program that is taught in the Croatian language and
there are additional classes per week to nurture the minority language and
culture.
15
in the Republic of Croatia:
20 years of implementation
Ines Elezović
Introduction: General characteristics of Croatia
and its schooling system
The Republic of Croatia is the Central European and Mediterranean
country that gained its independence in 1991 after the breakdown
of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. According to the
latest census (2011), the overall population of Croatia was over four mil-
lion people but due to the constant emigration flows and negative popu-
lation growth in recent years, current estimates indicate that this number
is below four million inhabitants in 2019. The majority of the population
is of Croatian nationality (90%) with 10 national minority groups name-
ly recognized by the Constitution of which the Serbian minority is the
largest (4%), followed by Italian, Bosnian, Hungarian, Albanian, Roma
etc. minority. The most represented religion is Catholic (86%), 4% are Or-
thodox and 1,5% of Muslim religion (2011 census data). The Croatian lan-
guage with Latin letters is formal language and letter. National minori-
ties can have their language, letter and culture acknowledged within the
schooling system in the form of three programs for which each school can
apply: Model A – national minority school with a complete program in
the language and letter of the minority, Model B – school in which class-
es are dual taught, only social science subjects are taught in the minority
language and all other subjects are taught in the Croatian language and
Model C – a regular program that is taught in the Croatian language and
there are additional classes per week to nurture the minority language and
culture.
15
