On 25 January 2022, the OECD Council decided to open accession discussions with Croatia. On 10 June 2022, the Council adopted the Roadmap for the accession of Croatia to the OECD Convention [C/MIN(2022)23/FINAL] (the Roadmap) setting out the terms, conditions and process for accession to the OECD. The Roadmap provides that in order to allow the Council to take an informed decision on the accession of Croatia, Croatia will undergo in-depth reviews by OECD technical committees listed in the Roadmap, including the Education Policy Committee.
Croatia has made remarkable progress in developing its education and skills system over the past two decades. Today, most students complete upper secondary education, many pursue higher education, and learning outcomes and equity indicators near OECD averages. Building on these strong foundations, Croatia is now advancing a wide-ranging reform agenda, backed by national and European Union (EU) investments, to expand opportunities for all learners and align education more closely with labour market needs. New policies such as the progressive rollout of whole-day schooling, more flexible vocational pathways, performance-based tertiary funding, and an adult learning voucher scheme reflect this ambition.
Realising this agenda will require sharpened focus on tackling some significant structural challenges. Disparities in educational access, particularly in the early years, and persistent gaps in foundational skills are holding many back, especially learners from low-income and rural backgrounds. Importantly, post-secondary education remains skewed towards academic tracks, limiting options for young people and adults, notably those with a vocational background. These factors contribute to a slow transition into work for many Croatian graduates - a threat to future growth in the face of low productivity, skills shortages and a shrinking population.
This report examines policies to address these challenges. It highlights ways in which Croatia can expand access to quality early childhood education and care, support the foundational learning of the most disadvantaged, offer more diverse pathways after upper secondary school, and improve transitions from school to work. It also looks at how Croatia can rethink funding and governance arrangements to better support reforms and respond to demographic shifts. Croatia has made real progress, but the challenge now is to turn reform into lasting change—ensuring that all learners can gain the skills they need to thrive, and that education plays its full part in driving sustainable and inclusive growth.
This report was prepared to support the accession review discussion of the Education Policy Committee with Croatia. It draws on OECD research and international experience to explore how Croatia can build on its reform efforts to deliver on the twin goals of quality and equity in education and training. It assesses Croatia’s education and skills policies across the full learning lifecycle—from early childhood education and care through to tertiary education and adult learning—using five principles that underpin effective education systems:
A strong focus on improving learning outcomes.
Equity in educational opportunity.
The capacity to collect and use data to inform policy.
The effective use of funding to support improvement.
Inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement in policy design and implementation.
In accordance with Paragraph 28 of the Roadmap and upon request of Croatia, the Education Policy Committee agreed to declassify this report and publish it under the authority of the Secretary-General, in order to allow a wider audience to become acquainted with its content. Publication of this document and the analysis and recommendations contained therein do not prejudge in any way the outcome of evaluations conducted as part of Croatia’s accession process to the OECD.
The analysis recognises Croatia’s achievements to date and offers concrete recommendations to help translate policy ambitions into sustained progress. Above all, we hope this report will support Croatia in building an education and skills system that delivers excellence and opportunity for all.
Andreas Schleicher,
Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General,
OECD Director for Education and Skills