Rising numbers from the diaspora choose Croatian universities

Zagreb

ZAGREB, 13 December 2024 (Hina) – Zvonko Milas, State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, highlighted on Friday at the opening of the 29th Forum of Croatian Minorities the increasing number of students from Croatian minority communities and the diaspora enrolling in Croatian universities.

This academic year, 57 such students have been admitted.

Currently, over 200 students from Croatian minorities and the diaspora are enrolled in Croatian universities, a figure that has grown since the introduction of a special admissions quota in 2018.

The quota, supported by the University of Zagreb and the Ministry of Science and Education, was specifically designed for students from Croatian minority groups and the diaspora, Milas said at the Forum, held at the Croatian Heritage Foundation.

This year’s Forum focuses on “The Role and Importance of Croatian Minorities in Promoting Croatia – Challenges in Implementing Branding Programmes within Minority Communities.” Each year, the Forum addresses different aspects of life within Croatian minority communities in Austria, Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Italy, Kosovo, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Serbia.

The aim is to showcase the role of Croatian minorities in promoting Croatia and to discuss their significance in presenting Croatia’s rich heritage, tourism opportunities, cultural routes, and heritage destinations in the countries where they reside.

Discussions will cover successful practices in promoting Croatia within minority communities to date, as well as future opportunities and challenges in branding Croatia.

Jasna Vojnić, President of the Croatian National Council in Serbia and a Member of the Croatian Parliament, spoke about the role and significance of Croatian minorities in promoting Croatia, using the Croats in Vojvodina as an example.

She noted that the Institute for the Culture of Vojvodina Croats, which has around 40 active members, plays a key role in preserving Croatian culture and language.

The Institute organises approximately 300 events annually and publishes around 30 publications, Vojnić said, adding that the presence of Croats in Serbia is documented as far back as the 13th century.

Parliamentary representative and envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Zdravka Bušić, drew attention to the unequal status of the Slovenian minority in Croatia compared to that of Croats in Slovenia.

She pointed out that while Slovenians in Croatia are recognised as a minority, Croats in Slovenia – despite numbering 55,000 – are not. She also emphasised the disparity in support provided by Croatia to its Serbian minority compared to what Serbia offers the Croatian minority.

Mijo Marić, Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, underlined the importance of the Forum, stating that it offers a platform for exploring ways to improve the status of Croats in twelve European countries.