Public administration education - contemporary trends and situation in the Republic of Croatia

Sažetak Upravno obrazovanje predstavlja obrazovanje budućih javnih službenika za rad u javnoj upravi. Kako bi službenici bili kompetentni za rad, moraju najprije poštivati temeljne vrijednosti i načela koje uprava zagovara, a povrh toga imati i potrebno znanje kako bi pružali javne usluge građanima. U Republici Hrvatskoj se upravno obrazovanje počelo razvijati još za vrijeme vladavine Kraljice Marije Terezije, 1969. osnivanjem Političko - kameralnog studija. Tako je upravno obrazovanje prolazilo kroz razne trendove razvoja uprave, te same upravne doktrine koje su se kroz povijest javljale, što je dovelo do potpuno novog uređenja studija. Danas u Republici Hrvatskoj studij javne uprave postoji u osam gradova, od toga se u četiri grada studij izvodi na diplomskoj, a u jednom i na poslijediplomskoj razini. Studiji se izvode isključivo na stručnoj razini, ali je nedavna promjena Zakona o visokom obrazovanju i znanstvenoj djelatnosti, dovela do njihovog jačanja te maksimalnog približavanja sveučilišnim studijima. Promjena je dovela do prepoznatljivosti studija u drugim europskim zemljama, koje također prate trendove razvoja javne uprave, te u većoj ili manjoj mjeri promiču razvoj upravnog obrazovanja.Education for public administration represents the education for future public officers. In accordance with competent work, officers should respect fundamental values and principles represented by the public administration, and moreover they need to be professionally educated for providing public services to their citizens. In the Republic of Croatia, education for public administration developed 1969, through “Političko-kameralni” study, during the reign of queen Marija Terezija. From that period, education for public administration went through various trends in the development of public administration, also through administrative doctrines which appeared over the history. The result is a completely new organization of studies. Today, education for public administration exist in eight cities of the Republic of Croatia, four of them perform the studies in graduate and one of them in postgraduate level. All studies are performed as a professional degree studies, but the amendments to the Law on higher education and scientific activity, results their convergence with university studies. Change improved their recognition in the other European countries, which also follows the trends of development of public administration and promotes the education for public administration, in greater or lesser degree