Boris Jokić: Educational reform in Croatia – how can new ideas and processes evoke optimism and hope?

The Comprehensive Curricular Reform was an extremely ambitious and complex attempt to radically change the Croatian system of education in the years 2014 to 2017. The proposed solutions and the implementation processes of the reform have caused various reactions from the public, ranging from explicit approval and strong support to harsh controversies and attacks on the people involved in the reform work. The public's support to the way in which reform processes were envisioned and administered, and the public's resistance to the authorities' attempts to hinder the reform, have caused protests involving tens of thousands of citizens on the first of June in both 2016 and 2017. The reform and the consequential protests have influenced the forming of authority in Croatia twice, either directly or indirectly. Even today, the reform has a strong social significance. In this lecture the original ideas and processes of this reform attempt will be presented. Special emphasis will be placed on the lessons for regional and European policies.  

Boris Jokić holds a degree in psychology from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb. He holds a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. He is a senior research associate in the Centre for educational research and development at the Institute for social research in Zagreb, and is currently working on a project titled “Educational aspirations of pupils at transitional periods of Croatian elementary education: nature, determinants and change (COBRAS)”. He has authored or coauthored 10 publications in the area of education. He was a member of the National Council of Education and is one of the authors of the Croatian strategy of education, science and technology. He was one of the creators of the Comprehensive Curricular Reform of early and pre-school, elementary and secondary education in Croatia. The ideas, processes and values in this reform led to mass protests of support all over Croatia with over 50 000 people participating.