Ensuring the Sustainability of Values and Content of the OGP Initiative (HR0021)

Inclusion of the values and content upon which the initiative Open Government Partnership is based in the Curriculum programme for civil education, Implementation indicators: The values and content upon which the initiative Open Government Partnership is based included in the curriculum for civil education, particularly in the area of anticorruption, achieving the right of access to information, and the inclusion and participation of citizens in decision-making processes. Lead institutions: Ministry of Science, Education and Sport Supporting institutions: Education Agency; National OGP Council Start date: Not specified, End date: 31 December 2014

12. Ensuring the Sustainability of Values and Content of the OGP Initiative

Commitment Text:

12.1. Inclusion of the values and content upon which the initiative Open Government Partnership is based in the Curriculum programme for civil education  

Implementation indicators: The values and content upon which the initiative Open Government Partnership is based included in the curriculum for civil education, particularly in the area of anti-corruption, achieving the right of access to information, and the inclusion and participation of citizens in decision-making processes.

Lead institutions:    Ministry of Science, Education and Sport

Supporting institutions: Education Agency; National OGP Council

Start date: Not specified   End date: 31 December 2014

Commitment Aim:

The issue of civic education in Croatia has been a highly debated topic for years. Civil society organisations dealing with human rights, anti-discrimination, anti-corruption, openness, and transparency advocated for civic education to be introduced into schools as soon as possible.^{[Note 61: Agencija za odgoj i obrazovanje, Kurikulum građanskog odgoja i obrazovanja, kolovoz 2012., http://bit.ly/Wv7rRD [Agency for Education, Civic Education Curriculum, August 2012].]} This commitment aims to include OGP values and content into the curriculum programme for civic education, including anti-corruption, right of access to information, and civic participation in decision-making processes.

Status

Midterm: Limited

The government launched pilot projects and used good practice examples to improve the proposed curriculum. The programme was expected to be used as a new school subject in September 2014, but with a change of leaderships at the Ministry of Science, Education, and Sport in June 2014, this process was halted. The topics intended to be taught as a single subject are now cross-curricular, while a final decision on the method of implementation was pending. This has delayed the implementation of this commitment, resulting in a limited completion level. For more details, please refer to the IRM midterm report.

End of term: Limited

The draft self-assessment report states that the decision on the adoption of cross-curricular and interdisciplinary content of civic education for primary and secondary schools (Official Gazette, No. 104/2014) determined that the contents and themes of civic education should be conducted in the framework of cross-curricular implementation. In July 2015, an expert working group was formed for drafting the Curriculum of Cross-Curricular Topics in Civic Education. Civic education in the 2015/2016 school year was implemented cross-curricularly as an experimental elective programme in the eighth grade of primary school. The draft self-assessment report proceeds to list the steps undertaken in implementing this commitment, and states that the draft for this cross-curricular topic was published on 22 February 2016.^{[Note 62: The draft version of the document was submitted for public consultations and is open for commenting until 1 December 2016: https://esavjetovanja.gov.hr/ECon/MainScreen?entityId=3715.]}

However, mass protests were held in several cities in Croatia, with more than 25,000 participants in Zagreb alone, under the name “Croatia can do better” (Hrvatska može bolje).^{[Note 63: See more at http://hrvatskamozebolje.org/5542/reuters-thousands-of-croatians-protest-for-education-free-of-politics/.]} Their purpose was to express dissatisfaction with the new education minister’s decision to dismiss the expert working group at the moment public consultations were being held on the content of the draft curriculum. This controversial decision, according to the initiative “GOOD,”^{[Note 64: GOOD is an initiative established in 2008 by several civil society organizations engaged in informal education and human rights, committed to systematically and efficiently introduce education for human rights and democratic citizenship in the educational system.]} heralded by several prominent Croatian CSOs, was contrary to the decisions of the Croatian Parliament, to adopted strategic documents and democratic procedures, as well as standards set by the Code for Consultation with the Interested Public in Legislative Procedures.^{[Note 65: See more at http://goo.hr/good-inicijativa/.]}

Did it open government?

Civic participation: Worsens

For a country with limited experience with civic education as well as open governance values and principles, the impact of this commitment could potentially have been transformative. The current inactivity regarding implementation and the highly controversial decisions by the technical minister for science, education and sport (for example, suspending the expert working group before its mandate was over and tampering with established public consultation procedures) means the actual impact of this commitment has worsened the status quo regarding open government. Furthermore, civil society is concerned that the process may have been stopped for the foreseeable future, which points to the conclusion that the government’s actions have led to a deterioration in opportunities and capabilities for the public to inform or influence decisions on this topic in the second year of implementation. The initiative “GOOD” stated in one of its announcements:^{[Note 66: See more at http://goo.hr/aktualna-rasprava-o-kurikulumima/.]} “We strongly condemn the actions of the technical Minister [of Science, Education and Sport], who … is behaving contrary to the decisions of the Croatian Parliament. … We therefore urge the Minister to refrain from violating the decision of the Croatian Parliament and doing further damage to education reform.”

Carried forward?

The next action has not been drafted or released by the government in accordance with the OGP schedule. The IRM researcher suggests undertaking the following steps to reach full completion:

•  The government should implement this commitment as envisaged, while striving to uphold all achieved democratic standards regarding transparent decision making, respect for legal procedures, and the value of civic participation and accountability.