'School for All', a Croatian civil society initiative, organized a protest rally in Zagreb on September 15th, demanding Croatian authorities employ more school assistants to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities in the educational process.
According to protestors, hundreds of children are currently in a disadvantaged position in formal education due to the lack of school assistants that provide classroom support. They also raised the issue that despite available European Union funds to employ school assistants for children in need, local authorities still pay them inadequate wages and violate their labor rights.
Last week, Blaženka Divjak, the Croatian minister for education, said there has been a significant rise in the number of assistants;1,000 more school assistants have been hired this year compared to last year. Moreover, the minister said the number of school assistant licenses issued in 2019 is three times higher than five years ago. Furthermore, Divjak announced that a rule book, which will determine the regulatory status of classroom assistants, is currently being developed. Additionality, the employment prerequisites will include the minimum of secondary education, and a specialized training for school assistants.