Head of Department
Deputy Head of Department
redoviti profesor
Petrinja, Katedra za prirodoslovlje, geografiju i povijest
zdenko.braicic@ufzg.hr
The Department of Primary Teacher Education is the largest curricular constituent unit of the Faculty of Teacher Education, comprising 110 academic staff across research, teaching, and associate ranks. In addition to the central headquarters in Zagreb, the Department’s members also work at the local branches in Čakovec and Petrinja. Under various names and across distinct historical periods, the Department began operations in 1919 with the establishment of the Higher Pedagogical School in Zagreb, which originally offered a two-year study programme. Throughout the post-war period until 1960, two- and three-year teacher training programmes were offered at the Pedagogical College; the institution was subsequently restructured into the Academy of Pedagogy, a two-year higher education institution for primary and subject-specific teacher training. Upon its 1981 integration with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the former Department of Primary Teaching was incorporated into the Department of Pedagogical Sciences. By decree of the Government of the Republic of Croatia in 1998, the Teacher Academy of the University of Zagreb was established, with primary teacher education delivered through the Department of Teacher Education. This constituted a four-year professional study programme for primary teacher training, featuring one extended subject specialisation from the following: Croatian Language and Literature, English Language, German Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, ICT, Visual Arts, or Music. Since the 2005/2006 academic year, in line with the Bologna reform, the Department of Primary Teacher Education has offered a five-year Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Study Programme in Primary Education as one of three degree programme departments within the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Teacher Education. Pre-service teachers can select one of four modules (Croatian Language and Literature, ICT, Visual Arts, Educational Sciences) or one of two foreign-language specialisations within the teacher-training programme (German or English). Study programmes comprise the pedagogical, psychological, and didactic subject cluster; the core subjects of the respective disciplines; the teaching methodology subject group; and subjects within specific modules or specialisations. The Department also offers postgraduate teacher education programmes (three doctoral and two specialist professional tracks) designed to academically affirm the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scope of teaching. The Department, linked to the longest tradition of teacher training in Croatia, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019. Through its curricular diversity, stringent standards in foundational education, and the exceptional academic and professional contributions of its teaching staff within the University and the broader community, the Department of Primary Teacher Education has become a recognised hallmark of the national educational heritage.