Author
According to the LITP, beneficiaries of international protection have the right to elementary, secondary and higher education under the same conditions as Croatian citizens, pursuant to separate regulations.[1]
Asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection shall exercise the right to adult education pursuant to the regulations on adult education as well as the right to recognition of foreign qualifications, both under the same conditions as Croatian citizens.
For asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection, who for justified reasons are not able to provide the necessary documentation to prove their foreign qualifications, an assessment of their prior learning shall be conducted. The assessment of the prior learning of beneficiaries of international protection shall be conducted by a competent body, pursuant to the regulations governing regulated professions and recognition of foreign vocational qualifications.
A decision to refuse an application for recognition of foreign vocational qualifications cannot be based exclusively on the fact that no official documents exist to prove a specific foreign vocational qualification.
If an asylee or foreigner under subsidiary protection does not have sufficient financial resources available, the translation of foreign documents for the purpose of recognition of foreign qualifications shall be provided from the State Budget under the item of the Ministry competent for education.
Challenges in the recognition of qualifications and nostrification of diplomas when people have documents proving their level of education, as well as the absence of adapted procedures for recognising qualifications when they do not possess documents were reported by Centre for Peace Studies (CPS). CPS also reported there are insufficiently available re-training programs that are closely related to the lack of knowledge of the Croatian language.[2]
However, in 2024, the Ordinance on the Method of Application and Implementation of the Validation of Prior Learning entered into force.[3] According to the Ordinance, the validation of prior learning may include the recognition of sets of learning outcomes and the assessment of competencies acquired through non-formal and informal learning.[4] Persons who have been granted international or temporary protection are also eligible to undergo the validation process.[5]
During 2022, the Ministry of Science and Education organised 23 courses of Croatian language, history and culture for asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection with the aim of their inclusion in Croatian society. In the same period, documentation (diplomas and certificates) were translated for 15 asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection. Five persons under international protection were enrolled at the following universities: Faculty of Law, Faculty of Political Sciences, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Civil Engineering, while only one refugee student is the beneficiary of a stipend.[6]
However, in September 2022, the Ministry of Interior took the decision to terminate the agreement with the Ministry of Science and Education, among other things, due to the fact that Croatian language courses were not held.[7]
At the local level, a Croatian language course, organized by the City of Zagreb, was held in 2024 for applicants for international protection, persons granted international or temporary protection, and foreign workers with residence and work permits, with the possibility of taking an exam and obtaining a certificate of knowledge of the Croatian language. In addition, the Croatian language course was conducted by 6 civil society organizations selected through a public call for expressions of interest of civil society organizations to participate in the implementation of the Action Plan of the City of Zagreb. The participants mostly attended language courses at the entry level (A1, A2 and B1). The free Croatian language course was attended by 443 participants, while 10 people passed the verified exam without attending the course. In addition, a public call for financial support for the education of high school students and students with granted international or temporary protection for the year 2024 was published by the City of Zagreb. 75 grants in the amount of EUR 2,000 per student were foreseen. Subsidies were paid once from the Budget of the City of Zagreb for 2024.[8]
Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) reported several problems in the educational system: problems with preparatory classes for children; lack of preparedness of schools; insufficient number of teaching assistants; problems in realising the right to higher education; problems in exercising the majority of rights enjoyed by regular students, such as the right to subsidised accommodation and food and the possibility of receiving a scholarship; difficulties with the recognition of qualifications and notification of diplomas when persons have documents proving their education, as well as a lack of customised procedures for recognition of qualifications when they do not have documents. CPS reported that schools are often not informed about the rights of persons under international protection, and that it is questionable whether they have received the necessary support from the ministry responsible for education. Within the framework of the project “Thinking of integration process as a two-way inclusion, 2incING” in 2024, CPS continued working on strengthening the advocacy capacities of refugee and migrant activists. They organized an advocacy meeting on the topic of higher education, led by refugee and migrant activists, which was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the Agency for Science and Higher Education, various research institutes, and more than 10 representatives of Zagreb-based universities. The aim of the meeting was to present the obstacles persons granted international protection face in accessing higher education, as well as the challenges and barriers various migrant groups encounter in accessing student rights.[9]
The Ombudswoman for Children, also underlined that sometimes children have preparatory classes in other schools, therefore losing part of the classes at their schools. She further stressed that 140 hours of Croatian language classes are not sufficient for a child to independently participate in education. In addition, there are still no textbooks that are adapted to children from other speaking areas.[10]
The UNICEF Office in Croatia reported that in 2024 standardized tests for assessing Croatian language proficiency in non-native speaking students have been developed and printed in cooperation with the National Centre for External Evaluation of Education. Schools can apply free of charge to administer these tests, and the results provide schools with a more objective insight into the Croatian language proficiency of non-native students.[11]
In 2022, the new Law on Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications entered into force.[12] The Law prescribes the possibility of evaluating foreign educational qualifications for the purpose of continuing education at the same or higher level of education and for the purpose of accessing the labour market for beneficiaries of international and temporary protection and their family members.
At the end of June 2023, the Ordinance on conditions and methods of exercising the right of students in regular status to subsidised housing entered into force.[13] Although the Ombudswoman proposed that students who are granted international protection should be included in the category of students who exercise the direct right to subsidised housing, such a proposal was not accepted. However, the Ordinance prescribes that an additional 750 points will be given to students under international protection, due to their specific situation.[14]
In October 2023, the Ordinance on the conditions and method of exercising the right to a State scholarship based on socio-economic status entered into force.[15]
To be included into the education system, beneficiaries must have a certificate of their status in Croatia, a certificate of residence, an identity document (e.g., birth certificate, identity card, passport or relevant document of the Ministry of Interior) and a document proving previous education. If it is not possible to enclose a document on previous education, it is necessary to give a statement before a notary public, which is then presented to the school’s professional service to organise an enrolment test in order to determine the class that the candidate can attend.
As a part of the project “Support in the integration of children and families under international protection“, which was implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, in 2024 the Society for Psychological Assistance (SPA) with the purpose of empowering and educating professional school staff and teachers who work with children, held 2 lectures on the specifics of working with children that are beneficiaries of international and temporary protection and other children who are at risk of social exclusion. They were provided with knowledge and tools to better understand the needs of students, but also to preserve their own mental health. A total of 49 school employees participated in the lectures. In addition, SPA developed the group program „How to make learning not torture“. The 3 workshops of 45 minutes each were conducted in three partner schools for children in the 5th and 6th grades. Workshops included children under international or temporary protection and gathered 15 children from each school. The program focused on help in learning, so topics related to learning methods, techniques and the organization of learning and time were covered. In addition, individual learning support was provided for 12 students, who were visited by volunteers from helping professions once a week for 90 minutes throughout the school year.[16]
In the field of education, in the course of 2024, AYS assisted in the realization of the rights of persons under international protection by supporting enrolment in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, higher education, and adult education.[17]
AYS also reported that in the course of 2024, they continued to provide educational support to children granted international protection, i.e., 44 volunteers provided 1,379 hours of educational support to 41 children from 24 families. The support programme included support in language learning, mastering school materials, building independence in academic context, expanding the social network, cooperation with schools and mediation in communication between parents and the school. Volunteers had the obligation to spend a minimum of 2 hours a week working with children.
However, as further reported by AYS, obstacles in the access to education have continued. Children who turn 15 and have not completed primary education are referred to adult primary education programs, which are not adequate for the developmental needs of adolescents integrating into a new community. These programs also do not include preparatory classes for learning the Croatian language. AYS is aware of at least one case in which it took over a year to include a child in a vocational training program. When a primary school certificate is missing and the child is enrolled in adult education or vocational training programs, the legally prescribed should be applied. However, in practice, these procedures are often not implemented, making access to education even more difficult. In the absence of a certificate, the institution providing adult primary education is required to carry out an assessment process, but AYS has repeatedly encountered situations where it was claimed that such assessment is not possible. As a result, it is highly likely that a child applicant aged 15 and over will remain outside the education system for extended periods. Although legislation allows for the inclusion of students over the age of 17 or 18 in the regular secondary school system, in practice they are often referred to adult secondary education programs, which — in addition to the previously mentioned shortcomings — also involve tuition fees (ranging from €900 to €2,500 per year). This leads to situations where children who were, by age, entitled to regular secondary education, miss that opportunity due to delays by institutions, and by the time they are considered, they have exceeded the age limit for regular secondary school enrolment.
In addition, AYS reported that the problems related to inclusion of children to preparatory classes continued in 2024. For students who have insufficient knowledge of the Croatian language, the school is obliged to organise preparatory classes. According to AYS, in practice, organisation of preparatory classes is extremely lengthy and children often wait for months before preparatory classes are approved. Also, some children have to go to another school for preparatory classes, and as a result, they cannot attend part of classes at their own school. If a child after 70 hours of preparatory classes does not meet the minimum requirements for inclusion in the regular education system, they should once again attend the program of preparatory classes. At the same time, in most cases, 140 hours of learning Croatian language is not enough for a child to be able to use the language independently to successfully achieve academic goals. Also, children who have been granted international protection in Croatia and who have been deported back to Croatia with their families are not able to enroll in school until they receive a valid residence permit with a new address. This process often takes more than a month.
CPS also reported that in practice, obstacles in the access of beneficiaries granted international protection to higher education continued in 2024.[18] Although, they have the right to higher education equally as Croatian citizens, there is no specific category for enrolling persons granted international protection to faculties, so they are enrolled either as other foreigners, which means they have to pay high tuition fees, or as Croatian citizens – which means that they have to take state graduation exam and have Croatian citizenship. In addition, as refugee students are enrolled in colleges in the quota for foreigners – they do not have access to all the majors, because not all faculties provide all majors for foreigners as well. There is also the problem of non-recognition of foreign educational qualifications in cases where beneficiaries have documents to prove their previous education as well as very high prices for beneficiaries of international protection who have to take different subjects which are not provided free of charge to them. In addition, problems arise in the exercise of most of the rights enjoyed by full-time students.
During 2024, at the local level in the City of Zagreb, 9 children that were granted international protection and 92 children under temporary protection attended kindergartens. 35 children applicants for international protection, 46 children beneficiaries of international protection and 274 children beneficiaries of temporary protection attended primary schools in the City of Zagreb. High schools in the City of Zagreb were attended by 5 students seeking international protection, 21 students under international protection and 115 students under temporary protection. The implementation of the project “ALTERNATIVE TEACHING – INTERCULTURAL SCHOOL CLASS” continued in Zagreb primary and secondary schools. This project, which contributes to the reduction of prejudices by creating prerequisites for building a fair and inclusive society, was implemented during 2024 in 49 Zagreb schools (29 elementary and 17 secondary schools), and included 1,300 students.[19]
The UNICEF Office in Croatia reported that, in cooperation with its implementing partner, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, it is developing an online professional development programme for educational staff in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools through self-paced learning as part of the PREMISE programme for Inclusive, Supportive and Equitable Education for Migrants. The programme will be adopted by the Education and Teacher Training Agency, while the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET) will ensure its long-term free online availability for educators, teachers and professional associates in the education system. As a foundation for the development of the training programme, a needs assessment is being conducted to examine the educational challenges faced by students of migrant origin and their families in early and preschool education, primary education (both class and subject teaching levels), and secondary education, as well as the needs of educational professionals in creating a supportive, inclusive, and equitable environment for children of migrant origin. Based on the assessment and the existing legal framework, evidence-based guidelines and recommendations will be developed to improve the quality of education and the integration of children and families of migrant origin into Croatian society. The assessment results and recommendations will be available in 2025.[20]
In January 2024, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth adopted a Decision on the financing of the implementation of basic adult education and training for simpler jobs in various occupations for the year 2024.[21] According to this Decision, the right to access the program of basic education and training for simpler jobs in occupations—delivered in regular, correspondence-consultative, and consultative-instructive formats—is also granted to asylees, foreigners under subsidiary protection, and foreigners under temporary protection.
[1] Article 70 LITP.
[2] Information provided by Centre for Peace Studies, 27 February 2025.
[3] Official Gazette 79/2024, available at: https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2024_07_79_1339.html
[4] Article 2 (1) Ordinance on the Method of Application and Implementation of the Validation of Prior Learning.
[5] Article 3 (1) Ordinance on the Method of Application and Implementation of the Validation of Prior Learning.
[6] Croatian Law Centre, The Croatian Asylum System in 2022 – National Report. The report was prepared as part of the project “Legal Assistance and Capacity Building for Access to Territory and Asylum in Croatia“, with financial support of the UNHCR Croatia: available in English at: https://bit.ly/434T7RL.
[7] Ministry of Interior: Decision on the cancellation of the Decision on the allocation of financial resources for the implementation of the project “Integration of asylees and foreigners under subsidiary protection into Croatian society, education and preparation for inclusion in the labor market“; available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/3lzxqtk.
[8] Information provided by the City of Zagreb, 28 January 2025.
[9] Information provided by Centre for Peace Studies, 27 February 2025.
[10] Ombudswoman for Children: Report on the work of the Ombudswoman for Children in 2024, available in Croatian: https://dijete.hr/hr/izvjesca/izvjesca-o-radu-pravobranitelja-za-djecu/#.
[11] Information provided by UNICEF Office for Croatia, 4 February 2025.
[12] Law on Recognition and Evaluation of Foreign Educational Qualifications, Official Gazette 69/2022, available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/3OPwI79.
[13] Ordinance on conditions and methods of exercising the right of students in regular status to subsidized housing, Official Gazette 68/2023,77/2024.
[14] Ombudswoman, Report of the Ombudswoman 2023, available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/4crt2kR.
[15] Ordinance on the conditions and method of exercising the right to a state scholarship based on socio-economic status, Official Gazette 114/2023, available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/3xlkixM.
[16] Information provided by Society for Psychological Assistance, 13 January 2025.
[17] Information provided by AYS, 15 January 2025.
[18] Information provided by Centre for Peace Studies,27 February 2025.
[19] Information provided by the City of Zagreb, 28 January 2025.
[20] Information provided by UNICEF Office for Croatia, 4 February 2025.
[21] Ministry of Science, Education and Youth: Decision on the financing of the implementation of basic adult education and training for simpler jobs in various occupations for the year 2024, 30 January 2024, available at: https://mzom.gov.hr/vijesti/odluka-o-financiranju-provedbe-osnovnog-obrazovanja-odraslih-i-osposobljavanja-za-jednostavnije-poslove-u-zanimanjima-u-2024-godini/5977.