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Article 12 1. The parties shall, where appropriate, take measures in the fields of education and research to foster knowledge of the culture, history, language and religion of their national minorities and of the majority. 2. In this context the Parties shall, inter alia, provide adequate opportunities for teacher training and access to textbooks, and facilitate contacts among students and teachers of different communities. 3. The parties undertake to promote equal opportunities for access to education at all levels for persons belonging to national minorities.
Paragraph 1.
From the jurisdiction of Ministry of education and sport Education of the members of minorities in the Republic of Croatia is part of the uniform pedagogico-educational school system. All the measures undertaken by governmental authorities for the promotion of this activity for the members of Croatian people as a whole are also applied to all pedagogico-educational institutions attended by the students, members of the national minorities. Because of certain specificity of education of the members of national minorities educational authorities on the level of the state, county and municipality perform possible additional activities which help in preservation and further development of minority specificity. From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of science and technology Based on the resolution of the government of the Republic of Croatia on the criteria for determination of financial help for the program of non- governmental associations for achievement of ethnic rights of the members of national minorities which are not realised by actions of regular institutions, funds from the state budget for implementation of research program and non-governmental associations of national minorities are remitted to the Ministry of science and technology of national minorities, which express requirements for preservation of ethnic, cultural and language identity, and at the same time means contribution to cultural, social and economic development of the Republic of Croatia and integration of national minorities into Croatian society. According to the data for 1997 and 1998 nine research projects have been approved which met usual criteria determined by a law, and which are valid for scientific and research in general (A list is given in the part "Policy").
From the constitution of the Republic of Croatia Article 15. "The Republic of Croatia guarantees equality to all national minorities. Members of all national minorities are entitled to the free expression of their nationality, use of their language and script and cultural autonomy." Constitutional law on human rights and freedoms and rights of ethnic and national communities or minorities Article 6., paragraph c) "The Republic of Croatia is obliged to guarantee to all the members of ethnic and national communities or minorities: right to identity, culture, religion, public and private use of language and script and education". Article 14. "Members of ethnic and national communities or minorities living in the Republic of Croatia are educated in kindergartens and schools in their own language and script, with programs adequately presenting their history culture and science if such a wish is expressed. Education in the part of school programs mentioned from Paragraph 1 of this Article not related to the student's national affiliation is provided in the range and content regulated by authorized agencies of the Republic of Croatia. The part of the program related to the national affiliation of students should be designated by the agencies from Paragraph 2 of this Article following the suggestions from the Office of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for Inter-ethnic relations." Article 15. "In towns and other populated areas where national and ethnic communities or minorities represent a relative majority of the population, and if the number of students allows for it, separate educational institutions or school departments will be established with classes held in the language and script of the particular national or ethnic community or minority, if such a wish is expressed. In cases when such schools or school departments cannot be established according to the criteria stated in paragraph 1 of this Article, due to a small number of students, the instruction of the subjects, which are related to the national affiliation of the students (language, literature, history, etc.) will be carried out within a separate school department by teachers of the same national affiliation if such a wish is expressed by the student's parents. In towns and populated areas from which, during and after World War II, the native population of other ethnic and national communities or minorities banished into parent countries, or the policy of forced migration into parent countries pursued, teaching a foreign language can be introduced as an optional subject, beginning with fourth grade of elementary education until the end of secondary education, that foreign language being the language of that ethnic and national community or minority, regardless of the percentage of the total population that those ethnic and national communities or minorities represent in that region. In towns and populated areas, in order to protect collective rights of autochtonus ethnic and national communities or minorities, steps for special protection for taking part in public affairs shall be taken in education, culture, spiritual and religious life and in access to public media regardless of their share in the total population. Measures from Paragraph 4 of this Article shall be undertaken until the re-establishment of the system of proper institutions aimed to foster and promote national particularities, culture and education institutions of the minority communities in the former scope." Article 16. "Besides municipal funds, the Republic of Croatia provides adequate funding for the realization of the programs enumerated in Article 14 of this Law."
This area of education is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport, culture under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, and sciences under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport The Republic of Croatia, helps members of national minorities financially, organizationally and in other ways in acquiring knowledge in the areas of culture, history, language and religion of particular minorities. Other Ministries are included in educational programs and programs for the preservation of the identity of national minorities, especially the Ministry of Science and Technology. Project managers are numerous scientists , either members of national minorities or Croatian scientists. In addition the state budget provides funding for organizations and institutions of national minorities which research their history, language and culture. The right to schooling and education in which the language, script, history and culture of specific minorities is taught as an essential part of preserving their identity and existence, is regulated by the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, the Constitutional law of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Rights of National and Ethnic Communities or Minorities, and the Law on Education in the languages of the minorities from 1979. The Law is obsolete in some provisions and is not in accordance with the above stated constitutional Law. In an effort to specify the main articles of the Constitutional Law in a contemporary manner the Ministry of Education formulated the law and the Government accepted it and sent it to the Parliament to be enacted. During the discussion in the Parliament some objections were made so that on voting for the adoption of this law it did not get the needed two- thirds majority vote from the representatives in the House of Representatives, and there for wasn't passed. The new legislative proposal will be referred to the legal procedure for acceptance in 1999. Legal provisions from the schooling system of the Republic of Croatia are applied on the educational organizations which are attended by minorities, if it is not otherwise regulated by provisions which enable the development of specific qualities in education of the minorities. From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Technology
From the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport In order to create the possibility of systematically researching the language, script, history and culture of national minorities an adequate number of educators, teachers and professors, primarily from the members of the minorities are being schooled for that purpose. Continuance of their education takes place either in the Republic of Croatia, when there are adequate colleges and departments with tuition in the language of the respective minority (e.g. for Italians, Germans, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Czechs and Slovaks) or in the parent country. With the intention of forming the greatest possible opportunities for contact and cooperation of the minorities from the Republic of Croatia with their parent countries, which is especially significant in the area of education and culture, the Government of Croatia stipulated bilateral agreements with states reinforcing the protection of minorities. In most cases those agreements insure, amongst other things, scholarships for a certain number of minority students in their parent countries .Other forms of help have also been agreed upon in education and acquiring professional skills of the primary teachers and professors (e.g. seminars under the guidance of an expert from the mother nation in the Republic of Croatia or in the mother country itself, cooperation between specific regions or schools, etc.) The above stated bilateral agreements on education and culture were signed with all the mother countries of minorities living in Croatia except with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The level and intensity of cooperation in the area of education mostly depend on the interest mother countries show for such cooperation.
Paragraph 2 See also Article 6. Paragraph 1.
From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport The education of minorities is organized through different models of schooling through other means of professional training of primary teachers and professors, specific additions in the teaching programs relevant to their nationalities, textbooks which are written in the language of minorities and have special subject matter additions pertinent to the minorities. Subsequently a smaller number of pupils is tolerated in classes than the required number for classes attended by pupils of Croatian nationality. Teachers in these classes are usually members of national minorities and have an adequate degree for the corresponding school level. The Ministry financially covers the so called increased costs for minority schools. From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Technology At the universities in the Republic of Croatia and on the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University in Zagreb the following languages are taught: Russian language and literature, Czech language and literature, Italian language and literature, German language and literature, the Hungarian language, Serbian language and Serbian history as part of the studies involving Slavic languages and history. Some of the above mentioned languages are also studied at the Teacher- training Colleges in Rijeka and Pula. Members of the national minorities have the same access to higher education as members of the Croatian nationals. There is an undergraduate school for primary teachers in Pub. In the school year of 1998/99, 14 students attended classes. In the same year 27 students attended classes for acquiring a degree in teaching preschoolers. The classes are conducted in Italian, for the specific needs of the Italian minority. The Ministry of Science and Technology expressed a desire to support the development of specific teaching programs for schooling teachers for the needs of the Serbian minorities in the undergraduate Training College in Osijek. Study groups for research concerning subject matter of interest to the Serbian national minorities were supposed to be formed. The minimum number of required students for forming the study groups was 20. Since the number was not met for the school year 1998/99 the program was not realized. A competition shall be announced for the next school year, and if a sufficient number of students apply a study group will be formed for the research of subjects of interest of the Serbian national minority groups, and in their language. Guaranties have also been given that the Budget of the Republic of Croatia shall provide financing for the above mentioned and a certain number of scholarships, through the Ministry of Science and Technology. The following individuals have been notified of the above said: Mr. Gerard Fischer, the Interim Administrator for East Slavonia Baranja and West Srijem, and Mr. Milos Vojnovic President of the Joint Council of Municipalities.
The above mentioned is in agreement with the Law on Education and in the languages of the nationalities ("The Official gazette" no 25/79) Article 13., which states the following: The education of teachers for the needs of Educational institutions whose professional work is conducted in the language of the nationalities is performed in higher education work organizations primarily in the language of the nationalities, or in other ways enables students to master the terminology of their profession in the language of the nationalities.
According to the above mentioned Charter the Republic of Croatia is obliged to "in regions where minority languages are in use, in accordance with the state of each of those languages and without damage to the official language" (Article 8.): make provisions for studying minority languages as subjects at the University Level, offer those subjects as a supplementary form of education or Adult education, take measures to insure that the teaching of history and culture represent the real meaning of regional and minority languages and enable basic and supplementary education of teachers needed to insure the realization of the above mentioned. According to the Law on Higher Education ("The National Gazette" 59/96) universities have full autonomy in deciding on their curriculum The curriculums in the Language and Literature Departments were designed according to that right.
Preschool education. Elementary and High School education are in the domain of the Ministry of Education and Sport. The Ministry of Science and Technology supervises the regularity of Higher Education Institutions, which also includes supervision of their curriculums which they adopt with full autonomy.
From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport For the successful realization of the statutory teaching programs high quality textbooks are needed, for all subjects both in Croatian and minority languages. The national minorities receive some books from the mother countries, and others are published in the Republic of Croatia as original textbooks - mostly in their native language. Specialized Publishing Houses (Newspaper Publishing House "Edit", Rijeka for the Italian national minority, "Jednota", Daruvar for the Czech national minority, Serbian Cultural Association "Prosvjeta", Zagreb, for the Serbian national minority) or Associations of particular national minorities ( Matica Slovacka- for the Slovaks, Union of Romany Associations- for work with the Romany population, etc.) print textbooks in the Republic of Croatia. For all students of elementary schools obligatory textbooks were free of charge in 1996/97 and 1997/98. The same refers to textbooks for the members of national minorities substantially more expensive than textbooks in Croatian, because of the small number of books in print editions Those textbooks are subsidized by the Ministry of Education and Sport from the State Budget. The usage of textbooks in elementary and high schools is regulated by the Constitution and is further enacted by the Minister for each school year in exactly the same manner for Croatian textbooks and those of the national minorities. The provision from Article 9. of this Law which is still being implemented and concerns financing of textbooks for the needs of national minorities states that:"...part of the publishing costs for textbooks for education on the languages of different nationalities and publishing costs for students with development disability, when such textbooks are required".
Paragraph 3.
From the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Sport The Law of Preschool Education, the Law of Elementary Schools and the Law of High Schools doesn't address in details the education of minorities. But it is unambiguously clear that everybody no matter what race, color of skin, national or ethnic origin or religious beliefs , has a right to education and professional training according to their abilities and under the same conditions.
Article 65., par. 2. Of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia states: everyone shall have access , under the same conditions to secondary and higher education in accordance with his abilities. Note: Primary schooling is compulsory and free. Article 58 on the Law of Higher Education ("The National Gazette" 59/96) states that: "everyone has a right to enroll into college under the same conditions citizens of the Republic of Croatia and members of Croatian nationality with residence out of the Republic of Croatia as well as foreign citizens and people without citizenship if they have permanent residency in the republic of Croatia".
The same applies as quoted under par. 2 of this Article.
The answers are given under par. 1 of this Article.
(the same)
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