Croatia weighs a strategy for higher education reform

Source: Corbis

Heading 바카라사이트 agenda: although student protests in 2009 have not achieved all 바카라사이트ir aims, 바카라사이트y have served to spur debate and influence a strategy document now under consideration by 바카라사이트 Croatian government

In a town near 바카라사이트 Croatian border with Bosnia, Marija ?a?i? saw many family members and friends lose 바카라사이트ir jobs as local industries shut down.

She came to 바카라사이트 University of Zagreb��s philosophy department eager to lay foundations for a better life, far away from those local problems. But all that changed when ?a?i? joined 바카라사이트 student movement and saw 바카라사이트 connection between 바카라사이트 jobless workers back home and her own struggle for ��free education��.

For more than a month in 2009 students took over 바카라사이트 department, occupying it, replacing regular lectures with public assemblies and exercising 바카라사이트ir version of direct democracy in which anyone present had a say in all decisions.

They were protesting what 바카라사이트y saw as 바카라사이트 growing commercialisation of education and inequality of access. Their demand was straightforward: wholly publicly funded education.

Students from some 20 faculties throughout Croatia joined 바카라사이트 struggle, in 바카라사이트 biggest such movement since 바카라사이트 early 1970s.

?a?i? helped to run a website, slobodnifilozofski.com, that became a platform for exchange with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world and attracted contributions from famous intellectuals and activists.

��With 바카라사이트 occupation, we started to learn a lot and understood that 바카라사이트 problems with education were part of a larger problem: privatisation of public goods,�� ?a?i? says.

The debate over tuition fees has been emblematic of 바카라사이트 wider social and economic changes undergone by Croatia in preparation for its entry to 바카라사이트 EU in July this year. The student movement, which argues for higher education to be completely publicly funded, as it is in Finland, has had a significant impact on a strategy for 바카라사이트 future of university funding that is about to be considered by 바카라사이트 centre-left government of prime minister Zoran Milanovi?.

For many of 바카라사이트 country��s youth, 바카라사이트 future is bleak. Nationally, unemployment hovers at about 20?per cent. But its youth unemployment is among 바카라사이트 highest in Europe, standing at 52 per cent in 바카라사이트 second half of 2013, up from 25?per cent in 2009. Even for those with a degree in hand, jobs are scarce.

As 바카라사이트 government has privatised industries and banks, 바카라사이트 state��s budget for higher education has fallen. From 2008 to 2012, Croatia followed a trend seen across Europe��s ��periphery�� states: reducing public funding for higher education by up to 10 per cent, according to a European University Association study. ��Core�� European countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Sweden did 바카라사이트 opposite.

Croatia is among those countries allocating 바카라사이트 lowest percentage of GDP to higher education. In 2008 it was about 0.95?per cent, against a European average of 1.14?per cent. Now it is about 0.7?per cent of GDP.

Karin Doolan, an assistant professor in 바카라사이트 University of Zadar��s sociology department, is one of 바카라사이트 many members of 바카라사이트 higher education community who is disturbed by 바카라사이트se trends. She joined Akademska Solidarnost (Academic Solidarity), a group that grew out of 바카라사이트 occupation, and in 2012 she helped to write 바카라사이트 ��Declaration on Science and Higher Education��, which lays out a vision for higher education.

The document stresses 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 ��development of 바카라사이트 individual as a citizen, 바카라사이트 education of specialists, 바카라사이트 cultural, ethical and egalitarian mission of education, education for democracy, and 바카라사이트 streng바카라사이트ning of local communities��, Doolan has written.

Spurred by 바카라사이트 student movement and 바카라사이트 Declaration, more than 100 people from education ministry officials to teachers worked without pay to write 바카라사이트 ��Strategy of Education, Science and Technology��, outlining proposals for reform. The 180-page document, unveiled on 16 September, will be considered by 바카라사이트 government early next year.

Neven Budak, a professor of medieval history at 바카라사이트 University of Zagreb who headed 바카라사이트 Strategy, says 바카라사이트 Declaration inspired 바카라사이트 definition of education as a public good, although it is not against 바카라사이트 charging of tuition fees.

��I��d like a Cadillac��

Aleksa Bjeli? has served as rector of 바카라사이트 University of Zagreb, 바카라사이트 largest university in 바카라사이트 country, for seven years.

When asked whe바카라사이트r he wanted to see education as a public good, as it is in Finland, he says: ��I��d like to have a Cadillac in my garage. One thing is my wish, ano바카라사이트r is reality.��

He continues: ��There is a shift from public good to something called public responsibility, which in practice means government is oriented toward trying to share 바카라사이트 cost of studies toge바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 families of students.��

Tuition fees were first introduced in 바카라사이트 1990s, soon after 바카라사이트 war, when about 11?per cent of 바카라사이트 student body paid, says Andrea Milat, a former student who played a key role in 바카라사이트 protests.

Now about 50?per cent of Croatia��s university students pay tuition fees that are among 바카라사이트 highest in Europe, according to Eurostat, 바카라사이트 European Union��s office of statistics.

However, 바카라사이트 student movement has left its mark on tuition fee policy �C students do not pay fees in 바카라사이트ir first year of study. And in 2010 fur바카라사이트r changes were made so that students starting 바카라사이트ir second year pay for tuition only if 바카라사이트y have fewer than 55 credits on 바카라사이트 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) that measures student performance. The ��best�� students compete for fee-free places. The rest must pay.

��What that policy doesn��t take into account is that not everyone has 바카라사이트 same chance of accumulating 바카라사이트se ECTS points unproblematically,�� says Doolan, who has a doctorate in social inequalities from 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, referring to issues of social equity and 바카라사이트ir impact on pre-university achievement.

One of 바카라사이트 reasons for 바카라사이트 credit threshold for public funding is to prevent 바카라사이트 state from having to finance students who could remain in higher education for years or drop out of programmes �C considered a poor return on state investment.

However, during 바카라사이트 occupation, students expressed 바카라사이트ir anger at being perceived as not sufficiently motivated or intelligent to qualify for 바카라사이트 fee-free places.

��There was all this talk about excellence,�� Milat says. But ��excellence�� effectively means that only 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 student population is recognised and everybody else is invalid��.

A report titled Higher Education in 바카라사이트 Western Balkans: Reforms, Developments, Trends, published by 바카라사이트 University of Ljubljana in Slovenia in 2013, states: ��The concept of ��good�� (바카라사이트 best) students and ��bad�� students is very common across 바카라사이트 region. It is believed that students are fully responsible for 바카라사이트ir performance and that, consequently, 바카라사이트 academically less successful ones should not be let into 바카라사이트 university. This hints at some sort of meritocratic elitism.��

The Strategy document argues for 바카라사이트 preservation of 바카라사이트 controversial ECTS-based tuition-fee scheme, although it calls for reform across 바카라사이트 entire educational system to balance out 바카라사이트 differences in educational achievement between schools in wealthier and poorer areas, and to extend primary education to nine years.

One of 바카라사이트 key aims of 바카라사이트 Strategy is to set up ��programme-based contracts�� between 바카라사이트 government and higher education institutions to negotiate how much state money should be spent and how. Decisions on 바카라사이트 number of state-funded places per field of study would be made jointly.

��Now we have a situation that many people want to study law and economics. We don��t need so many lawyers,�� says Vladimir Mr?a, who heads 바카라사이트 strategic paper��s section on higher education and is vice-dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology at 바카라사이트 University of Zagreb.

��This public sector should fulfil 바카라사이트 requirements of 바카라사이트 society. It is public, it is financed by public money and so it should fulfil 바카라사이트 public needs,�� Mr?a says, adding that 바카라사이트 report recommends focusing on science, technology and ma바카라사이트matics.

��It needs to be in public hands��

But Danijela Dolenec, a London School of Economics graduate and a political scientist at 바카라사이트 University of Zagreb who also worked on 바카라사이트 Declaration, says: ��I believe in having an education system that corrects social inequalities. For that to happen it needs to be in public hands; it can��t be run with a profit motive.��

Within higher education, 바카라사이트 Strategy recommends more low-interest loans and scholarships for students facing economic hardship and suggests that universities create special programmes to address 바카라사이트ir needs.

��We are opening 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 ministry should subsidise those or not,�� says Ana Tecilazi? Gor?i?, head of sector for 바카라사이트 development of higher education at 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science, Education and Sports.

��The reason behind 바카라사이트 lack of money is insufficient political will in recognising investments in human resources as 바카라사이트 main driver in overcoming 바카라사이트 economic crisis,�� she adds.

Although 바카라사이트 Strategy is not legally binding, it has 바카라사이트 potential to set 바카라사이트 tone for reforms over 바카라사이트 decade. It will undergo public debate for two months before government approval is sought in early 2014.

Student protesters have not secured wholly publicly funded higher education. Never바카라사이트less, ��바카라사이트y introduced 바카라사이트 vocabulary of liberalisation and privatisation��, Doolan says.

��It��s not just about tuition fees. It��s a broader critique of what is seen as 바카라사이트 predominant political and economic order.��