Founding of Compulsory Civil Education According to the Education Acts from Second Half of the 19th Century

Overview & Synopsis

Records of education in Croatia occur very soon after the settlement of Croats in this area. It is tied to 9th century and Duke Trpimir. Initial steps of education were not legally bounded nor the school was obligatory. In the second half of the 19th century, more precisely in 1871, with the First Education Act education becomes obligatory. Using the comparative analysis, the contents of the first three education acts from 1871, 1874 and 1888 will be explored as well as historical development and the legal foundations of obligatoriness of education. The paper compares the first pedagogical documentation i.e. education acts of obligatory civic schools in 18 differently grouped categories. After the analysis of the content of pedagogical documentation--original historical material, it is clear that three education acts regulated many pedagogical elements that enabled proper functioning of the first civic schools. In this legal acts schools and the teachers have become concern of the state and an important institution for further social progress and development. This paper provides an insight into the legal beginnings that have served for foundation and later on for contemporary development of education in Croatia and its development up to the present democratically structured schools.