Teachers in Croatia 1849-2009

In order to mark several anniversaries significant to the national education system, the Croatian School Museum will feature a large exhibition, “Teachers in Croatia 1849-2009”. Open until the end of March, it will offer a comprehensive insight into the development of the teaching profession in Croatia.

Considering the plethora of upcoming anniversaries – 160 years since the foundation of the first teaching school in Croatia; 150th anniversary of publishing of the first specialist pedagogical magazine “Napredak” (“Improvement”); 120 years of existence of the Home of Croatian Teachers in Zagreb; and 90 years since the implementation of higher education for teachers – employees of the Croatian School Museum have organized an exhibition of diverse school materials that were once used in regular Croatian education throughout history.

A large exhibition, entitled “Teachers in Croatia 1849-2009” will remain open at the Croatian School Museum until March 31st.

The exhibition features a comprehensive insight into school materials – a total of 250 originals as well as copies of old textbooks, pedagogical literature, archival holdings, photographs, school equipment, lecture tools and students’ works – that have been used in schooling over the past two centuries.
Apart from various items, the exhibition also reveals an array of important moments in the development of teacher education, class effectiveness, and development of the professional identity of teaching over the course of the past two centuries in Croatian educational and public circles. During that period, the system of teacher education has developed from a two-year programme to a five-year degree study with a possibility of gaining an additional masters degree. Moreover, specialization of the teaching profession over the years has increased its strengths and, along with supporting quality within the academic community, several important institutions were also established.

The Home of Croatian Teachers, founded 120 years ago, became the headquarters of all important teaching associations of the former Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, as well as a place for specialized, educational, class and cultural activities of teachers. Acting on the teachers’ initiative, the Croatian School Museum was opened at the Home of Croatian Teachers in 1901.