On 24 – 25 September 2018, a group of 20 teachers from Kosovo participated in a study visit to Croatia hosted by the Network of Education Policy Centers (NEPC). The objective of the study visit was to introduce the Kosovo teachers to the Croatian education system and present to them good practices in fostering a democratic school culture and diversity in Croatian schools. The group visited three schools: the Ivan Meštorvić School in Zagreb, the Vocational Technical School and the Matija Mesić High School in Slavonski Brod. The teachers also heard several presentations from NGOs working on school projects in Croatia, such as NEPC, the Forum for Freedom in Education and Step by Step Croatia.

The host schools presented themselves, their activities and the challenges they face. The Kosovo teachers were in particular interested in working with children with special education needs and inclusion practices, minority education and activities that encourage student and parent participation. One of the host schools also presented the self-evaluation process that the school applies on a regular basis in order to design indicators for measuring progress. All three host schools are involved in EU funded projects and the Kosovo teachers were particularly interested in learning about the Erasmus+ programmes for which Kosovo schools are now also eligible.

For both the visiting and the hosting teachers the two days of exchanges and learning brought new knowledge, inspiration for implementing activities in their schools and a rare opportunity for networking between teachers and schools from neighbouring countries.

The study visit was organised within the framework of the Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey action “Fostering a democratic school culture and diversity in schools”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.

*This designation is without prejudice and is in line with the UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.