In the Croatian education system, the competent authority for education is the Ministry of Science and Education. Sectoral agencies are in charge of specific areas of education.
The Ministry of Science and Education (MSE) is the competent ministry for the field of education. It performs administrative and other tasks related to the system of preschool, primary, secondary and higher education, and the development of science, technology and innovation. Other responsibilities of the Ministry in the field of education are listed here.
The Education and Teacher Training Agency (ETTA) is a public institution whose main task is to provide professional and advisory services in education. The Agency participates in the monitoring, improvement and development of education in the field of preschool, primary and secondary education, adult education and education of children of Croatian citizens abroad and children of foreign citizens.
The Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education (AVETAE) is responsible for the planning, development, organisation, implementation, monitoring and improvement of the VET and adult education system. The Agency’s goals are to develop qualifications based on competences and learning outcomes, to align education with the needs of the labour market, to build a vocational education and training system that enables lifelong learning and mobility, to define the roles of teachers in a learning outcomes-oriented system, and to establish a quality assurance system.
The Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) is responsible for quality assurance in higher education and science. It is authorised to carry out external quality assurance procedures in the European Higher Education Area. It conducts a part of the following procedures: initial accreditation, re-accreditation, thematic assessment and external independent periodic assessment of internal quality assurance and improvement of the systems. It also collects and processes data on the science and higher education system and performs other activities related to the development of science and higher education.
The Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP) is a public institution established by the Government of the Republic of Croatia in 2007 in order to create an institutional framework for the implementation of European Union programmes in the field of education and training. The Agency's activities relate to the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme (2014-2020) in the fields of education, training, youth and sport and the Horizon 2020 programme in the field of research and innovation. It has taken over the tasks of the national support structure and implemented other programmes, networks and initiatives in the field of education and youth. The Eurydice National Unit is based in the Agency.
The National Centre for External Evaluation of Education (NCEEE) is a public institution that conducts external evaluation in the education system of the Republic of Croatia and exams based on national standards. The activities of the Centre relate to the field of external evaluation of student achievement and the external evaluation of educational institutions. It conducts scientific and research work in the field of testing and external evaluation of education, cooperates with various stakeholders and institutions/organisations in the education system and conducts training in the field of external evaluation.
The Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET) is a public institution operating within the Ministry of Science and Education in the field of information and communication technology and its application in education. It started in 1991 as a project of the Ministry of Science and Technology and was then the first and only internet service provider in Croatia. Four years later, CARNET was established to innovate the education system and foster the progress of individuals and society as a whole through ICT.