How do children live in Croatia?
In Croatia, most children go to primary and secondary schools. How a child lives, of course, also in Croatia depends on where it lives. But the life of children in Croatia is not so different from the life of children in Germany. If the child lives in a poor family, they have fewer toys and the family can afford less. But of course there are not only poor families in Croatia. If the children’s parents have a well-paid job, the family usually has more money at their disposal. But there aren’t that many well-earning families in Croatia, as Croatia is still a poorer European country.
Many young people cannot find work in Croatia
Because the unemployment rate in Croatia is high in European comparison. Above all, many young people – although they are often well educated – cannot find work. It is said that youth unemployment in Croatia is the second highest in Europe. The exact numbers fluctuate and that can always change quickly.
There is also a lot of poverty in Croatia. There are children who live with their families in a tiny apartment in the basement. The social system in Croatia can pay very little to people without work, they have to live on a lot less than in other European countries. And the cost of life in Croatia has increased in recent years. This is partly due to growing tourism. Especially at the seaside and in tourist cities, prices have adjusted to the prices in major European cities. This increases the income, but the locals also have to pay higher prices. If salaries do not rise at the same time, it will be difficult for the Croatians themselves to live in these regions.
Contrasts between rich and poor
The contrasts between rich and poor are stark. In Zagreb or other big cities you will find great shopping malls where you can buy jewelry and expensive clothes, people who drive around in fancy cars and live in beautiful houses. At the same time, there are people who live in tin huts and cannot offer their children a future.
School in Croatia
In Croatia, children can attend kindergarten and preschool. These are financed by the state. However, this is not an obligation. But the state recommends that parents send their children to kindergarten or preschool. In the pre-school, which, by the way, most children in Croatia attend, they are prepared for elementary school. Check top-engineering-schools to see schooling information in other European countries.
School attendance in Croatia?
Compulsory schooling in Croatia is now eleven years (previously it was only eight years). Most children between the ages of six and 15 attend a school that does not cost anything in Croatia. In addition to a normal primary school, a specialty in Croatia is a school in which there are more lessons for music and dance. There are also elementary schools for children who have difficulty learning. In the small towns, the classes are often mixed in terms of age because there are not enough children per year to fill a whole class.
On request: lots of music and lots of dance!
A teacher accompanies the children through the first four years of primary school. In the first six months they will not receive any grades. The school continues from fifth through eighth grade.
Then follows a secondary school. The children either go to a high school, where they can do their Abitur as we do, or to a school that prepares them for various professions, or to an art school that teaches a lot of singing, dance and art. Most schools have to be attended again over a period of four years. Attending vocational schools is a little shorter.
Croatian children have long summer holidays, but fewer short holidays than ours. In many regions of Croatia it is so hot in summer that learning is really not fun.
Roma
Problems of Roma and Roma children
We do not know how many Roma live in Croatia. The largest communities are in northeastern Croatia, where 30 percent of the Roma live in the country. But you also live in other areas and also in the capital Zagreb.
Many live in settlements for which there is no permit. There is no public electricity there and there are no water connections. 80 out of 100 Roma households have no fixed income and most women do not work outside the home.
How do the children live?
Although there are some attempts to do for the Roma children in Croatia, many children do not speak Croatian, but their own language, which is called Romani. They often don’t go to preschool. However, a large proportion of the children go to primary school. But unfortunately the number of school attendants decreases the older the children get. Roma children often have a long journey to school and the schools they attend are often poor.
Other children sometimes dislike Roma children because they keep hearing bad things about Roma from their parents. Many Roma are also unable to pay the costs of schools such as books or exercise books. There is also a lack of teachers who are familiar with the children’s problems and, in the best case, are Roma themselves and understand their language.
