Comparison of Continuous Professional Development of Teachers in Germany and Croatia

Globalne promjene izravno utječu na suvremeno društvo, koje se nalazi pred izazovom prilagođavanja novim zahtjevima koje te promjene donose. Stoga se u mnogim dokumentima Europske Unije naglašava potreba trajnog profesionalnog razvoja ljudi, kako bi bili spremni prilagoditi se i proširiti svoja znanja. To se odnosi i na nastavnike, koji bi se trebali trajno razvijati kako bi se mogli prilagoditi novim zahtjevima što njihova uloga nosi. U ovom se radu uspoređuje trajni profesionalni razvoj nastavnika u Njemačkoj i Hrvatskoj. U ove dvije zemlje značajno se razlikuju odgojno-obrazovni sustavi, inicijalno obrazovanje nastavnika, ali i sustav trajnog profesionalnog razvoja S obzirom na to da je njemački sustav decentraliziran i svaka od 16 pokrajina ima autonomiju pri kreiranju sustava trajnog profesionalnog razvoja, obrađene su dvije reprezentativne pokrajine: Sjeverna Rajna-Vestfalija i Baden-Württemberg. U Hrvatskoj je sustav centraliziran i sve odluke vezane uz sustav trajnog profesionalnog razvoja u nadležnosti su Ministarstva znanosti i obrazovanja u Zagrebu. U njemačkoj pokrajini Sjeverna Rajna-Vestfalija nadležno je Ministarstvo škole i obrazovanja u Düsseldorfu, a u pokrajini Baden-Württemberg Ministarstvo za kulturu, mlade i sport u Stuttgartu. U obje zemlje postoje mnogi zakoni i pravilnici koji utvrđuju potrebu nastavnika za trajnim profesionalnim razvojem i dok je u Hrvatskoj ono precizno određeno, za Njemačku takvi podaci ne postoje. U Hrvatskoj su Agencija za odgoj i obrazovanje i Agencija za strukovno obrazovanje i obrazovanje odraslih glavni akteri prilikom organiziranja programa trajnog profesionalnog razvoja. Sjeverna Rajna-Vestfalija organizirala je 53 tima za kompetencije, a u Baden-Württembergu osnovan je Centar za kvalitetu škole i obrazovanje nastavnika.Global changes are directly affecting modern society, which means it is necessary to face the challenge of adapting to the new demands that these changes bring. Therefore, many documents of the European Union emphasize the need for continuous professional development of people, in order to be ready to adapt and expand their knowledge. This also applies to teachers, who should be constantly evolving in order to be able to adapt to the new demands that their role carries. This paper compares the continuous professional development of teachers in Germany and Croatia. In these two countries, educational systems, initial teacher education, but also the system of continuous professional development differ significantly. Given that the German system is decentralized and each of the 16 provinces has autonomy in creating a system of continuous professional development, two representative provinces are discussed: North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. In Croatia, the system is centralized, and all decisions related to the system of continuous professional development are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Education in Zagreb. In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia the Ministry of School and Education in Düsseldorf is responsible for such decisions, and in the state of Baden-Württemberg, those decisions are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in Stuttgart. In both countries, there are many laws and regulations that determine the need of teachers for continuous professional development, and while in Croatia those laws and regulations are precisely defined, such data do not exist in Germany. In Croatia, the Agency for Education and the Agency for Vocational and Adult Education are the main actors in organizing continuing professional development programs. North Rhine-Westphalia organized 53 competent teams, and Baden-Württemberg established a Center for School Quality and Teacher Education