Teachers Protest in Zagreb Over Pay and Evaluation

The news in Croatian

1. održati
   izvesti ili upriličiti događaj ili sastanak ↩︎
2. prosvjed (m.)
   javno iskazivanje neslaganja ili negodovanja ↩︎
3. prosvjed (m.)
   javno iskazivanje neslaganja ili negodovanja ↩︎
4. zahtijevati
   tražiti nešto na odlučan način ↩︎
5. koeficijent (m.)
   broj koji množi neki drugi broj ili veličinu ↩︎
6. prosvjed (m.)
   javno iskazivanje neslaganja ili negodovanja ↩︎
7. nastavak (m.)
   produženje ili povratak nečemu što je bilo privremeno prekinuto ↩︎
8. ispuniti
   realizirati ili ostvariti nešto što je dogovoreno ili očekivano ↩︎

Translation

Text Comprehension

Question: What did the teachers in Zagreb protest against?

Question: Where did the protest in Zagreb begin and end?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
održati	hold
prosvjed (m.)	protest
zahtijevati	demand
koeficijent (m.)	coefficient
nastavak (m.)	continuation
ispuniti	fulfil

Read the full story

The demonstration, termed “Advent Protest against Evaluation and Unjust Coefficients,” was a display of solidarity from the Union of Science, the School Union Preporod, and the Independent Union of Secondary School Employees. The protest saw a procession that began at the Republic of Croatia Square and made its way towards Ban Jelačić Square, disrupting public transport in the area.

Zrinko Turalija, president of the Independent Union of Secondary School Employees, emphasized the unity among the unions despite previous differences. Their collective goal is “to secure coefficients for the education sector that are appropriate to their role in society,” a sentiment that was widely echoed by the demonstrators.

Critics of the new evaluation system argue that the proposed “equal pay for equal work” framework has not translated into practice, with many educators feeling undervalued compared to other public service sectors. Turalija also highlighted that the new regulations would introduce burdensome evaluation tasks that could erode collegiality among teachers, fostering a “fear of mistakes and punishment” over creative and autonomous work.

Tvrtko Smital, from the Independent Union of Science and Higher Education, criticized the lack of practical application in the proposed evaluation reforms. He pointed out that similar systems globally have often resulted in decreased workplace cooperation rather than enhanced performance or satisfaction.

Matija Kroflin, the general secretary of the same union, echoed these concerns, accusing the government of previously leveraging the issue of coefficients to win elections, only to neglect real reform post-victory. Kroflin emphasized the unions’ demands: exclusion from the evaluation system and the establishment of fair coefficients without restrictive conditions.

On the other side, the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education remarked that teacher salaries have already increased by over 60% during the current government’s mandate. They suggested the protest lacked rational justification, citing recent salary hikes and ongoing negotiations as evidence of progress.

The unified stance of the unions has indicated that continued protests, or even strikes, may ensue if these issues are not adequately addressed. “Our message is simple: stop the evaluations and provide fair coefficients,” Kroflin declared, asserting their determination to persist.

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