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1. Main actors

2. General distribution of responsibilities

    

Main actors

Governing bodies

• The Ministry of Science and Education (MSE), along with its competent departments – the Department for Education and Care and the Department for Higher Education – is responsible for administrative and other tasks in the primary and secondary education system, as well as the development of education and higher education.
• The Central State Office for Demography and Youth is another important governmental body that creates youth public policies in non-formal education.

• The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, among other functions, performs services related to labour requalification programmes and is responsible for the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan 2022-2023.

  At all levels, the Croatian educational system is centrally governed by the MSE and related national agencies:

• The Education and Teacher Training Agency (ETTA) performs professional and advisory services in education and care, participating in monitoring, advancement, and development of education and care for the sectors of primary and secondary education.
• The Agency for Vocational Education and Training is tasked with planning, developing, organising, implementing, monitoring, and advancing the system of vocational education and training.
• The Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes implements and promotes the European Union programmes, as well as other international programmes, in the areas of science, education, training, and youth.
• The Agency for Science and Higher Education performs a part of the procedure of initial accreditation, procedures of reaccreditation, thematic evaluation, and audit. It also collects and processes data on Croatian higher education, science, and related systems.
• The National Centre for External Evaluation of Education is a public institution for external evaluation in the Croatian education and training system, responsible for the implementation of exams based on national standards.

• The Agency for Electronic Media is an independent regulatory body that promotes public interest and media pluralism. It justifies public trust through professional and transparent activities, encourages media literacy, creates conditions for the production of quality Croatian audio-visual content, and ensures equal conditions for media development and media freedom.

  The MSE and the agencies legally proscribe and accredit educational programmes offered by educational institutions at all levels.

Consulting bodies

• The National Council for Science, Higher Education and Technological Development is an expert and advisory body of the Croatian Parliament, responsible for the development and quality of higher education in the Republic of Croatia.
• The Rectors’ Conference includes all public university rectors and makes decisions on matters of common interest for the development of universities.
• The Council of Polytechnics and Schools of Professional Higher Education consists of the deans of all polytechnics and schools of professional higher education.
• The Advisory Board for Youth of the Government of the Republic of Croatia is an interdepartmental advisory body, tasked with participating in the development of youth public policies. It monitors the work of ministries and other state administration bodies in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of youth policies.

Other public actors

• The Croatian Employment Service, through the Lifelong Career Guidance Centres, provides information on the possibility of further education and training.
• The Croatian Pension Insurance Institute is a public institution established under the Pension Insurance Act. This act marked the beginning of the pension system reform, aiming to provide mandatory pension insurance entitlements to employees, farmers, craftsmen, and others.
• The Central Registry of Affiliates (REGOS) is primarily focused on keeping and maintaining the register of contributions for mandatory pension insurance by insured persons. Additionally, it is involved in selecting and modifying the mandatory pension fund, keeping records of paid contributions, and collecting and controlling data from insured persons for mandatory pension insurance.

Representative bodies (young people)

The Croatian Students’ Council is the students’ representative body established by the Act on Student Council and Other Student Organisations. It is an umbrella organisation of all Croatian students aiming to promote their rights and interests.

The Students' Council of Polytechnics and Schools of Professional Higher Education is a coordinating body composed of students' representatives from Polytechnics and Schools of Professional Higher Education. Its purpose is to promote their rights and interests.

The Croatian Youth Network is an alliance of youth-led and for-youth organisations empowering young people to actively and responsibly participate in society, and contribute to the development of quality youth and civil society policies. It is committed to collaborating with government bodies, educational and scientific institutions, civil society participants, and the media.

The Advisory Board for Youth of the Republic of Croatia is a newly established representative body in 2023. It comprises of 19 members from regional advisory boards. The goal is to represent the needs and interests of young people from all parts of Croatia and to advocate for them at the international level. Additionally, the Youth Council aims to actively participate in the development of public policies for young people.

Representative bodies (trade unions and associations)

Trade unions related to the education system include:

• The Trade Union of Croatian Teachers
• The Independent Trade Union of Workers in Secondary Education of Croatia 
• The Independent Union of Research and Higher Education Employees of Croatia 
• The Trade Union of Education of Croatia
• The Trade Union of Croatian School Employees 

Croatian Employers' Association protects and promotes employers' rights and interests.

General distribution of responsibilities

The MSE administers the salaries of teaching staff, constituting a major share of the overall education budget, across all education levels. However, the lowest level (Early Childhood Education and Care ECEC) is provided and administered by local governments.

At the middle school level (upper secondary), regional governments and institutions share the responsibility for appointing school heads and individual staff members.

For more details about the governance of the education and training system, please visit Eurydice.

Cross-sectorial cooperation is achieved through collaboration among various ministries and other participants in the sector, as described in the ‘Main actors’ section. Public and non-public actors typically collaborate in working groups with specific tasks, such as drafting laws, strategies, curriculums, and similar initiatives.

One of the biggest cross-sectoral cooperation was related to the Comprehensive Curriculum Reform called School for Life. In April 2018, the MSE made a Decision to establish an Expert Working Group composed of experts, government officials, and student representatives. The Expert Working Group selected members for specific curriculum-focused working groups, while ETTA appointed their coordinators.

The Government of the Republic of Croatia established the National Coordinating Body and the National Operating Body in 2012 for the Strategy of Education, Science and Technology.