e-Schools: Development of the System of Digitally Mature Schools (II. phase)

Systemic and regular use of state-of-the-art technology in learning and teaching, adequate infrastructure and computer equipment in all Croatian schools, numerous e-services developed for teaching and business processes, as well as a series of trainings helping develop the digital competencies of school staff are only some of the benefits offered by CARNET’s e-Schools programme.

The programme, fully named “e-Schools: a comprehensive informatization of school operation processes and teaching processes aimed at the creation of digitally mature schools for the 21st century”, began in March 2015 in the form of a pilot project which entailed 151 Croatian schools. The “e-Schools: Establishing a System for Developing Digitally Mature Schools“ pilot project was conducted until the end of August 2018. The main result of the pilot project was an increase in the level of digital maturity for 10% of Croatian primary and secondary schools.

In September 2018, based on the experience and results gained through the pilot project, CARNET launched the second phase of the “e-Schools: Development of the System of Digitally Mature Schools (Phase II)” programme, worth 1.3 billion kuna. Following a decision by the Ministry of Science and Education, the teaching and operation processes in all state-financed Croatian schools will be digitally transformed by the end of October, 2023.

The overall objective of the e-School programme contributes to strengthening the capacities of primary and secondary education systems in order to prepare students for the labour market, further education, and lifelong learning.

The specific objectives of the e-Schools programme, which will contribute to the overall objective, are:

• provide a purposeful, reliable and secure ICT environment suited to the needs of schools in the Republic of Croatia
• improve the efficiency and coherence of processes in the education system and enhance the digital competences that contribute to the digital maturity of schools
• enhance the strategic leadership of schools to increase their digital maturity

The key role in increasing the digital maturity of schools belongs to the principals and the teaching staff, who are ready to use new technologies and approaches to teaching.

In digitally mature schools, teachers use technology to enhance lectures, develop their own digital content, and support independent learning as well as critical skill development among students, who are at the heart of the teaching process. In this way, students actively participate in class and find a greater motivation for studying and continuing their education, which in turn makes them more competitive in the labour market. Managing e-Schools is efficient and transparent, while the communication and document sharing between the school, its affiliates and the founder is much simpler.