Two panels were held as part of the discussion and were attended by experts, representatives of relevant institutions and authorities. The speakers at the first panel discussion were Aleksandar Battista Ilić, Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts, and Daniela Angelina Jelinčić from the Institute for Development and International Relations. The panelists touched upon, in detail, the current issues of the education system reform, one of the most important reforms that, with the change of the entire system of education, directly affects the quality and competence of the workforce and the development of creativity and the competitiveness of the entire Croatian economy.

Aleksandar Battista Ilić commented on the creativity in the education system saying: „Given that creativity had been left out in first draft of the Strategy of Education and Science, we have launched the making of the Strategy for development of creativity in primary and secondary schools. Cooperation with the expert group and Boris Jokić was exceptional. We talked about the fact that children in schools, along with a visual language, should be taught about creativity, initiative, problem solving. A very important issue, concerning the elementary school as well as the doctorate studies, is how to create new value from knowledge. All documents state that students should be prepared for the labor market, and what we need to do is to encourage and educate them that they themselves create new markets. We are still missing out on this paradigm and without it, there is no added value.“

Daniela Angelina Jelinčić concluded: „Through the cluster of creative industries we are trying to reach out to a larger audience to prove just how much creativity is important. More and more people are becoming aware of its importance and the fact that the class of the 21st century is the "creative class". It includes investigative journalists, scientists, artists, people who charge their work with their creativity - through patents, innovation and talent. Croatian society is the champion of the world when it comes to „molding“ someone and limiting his work and we need to be more open and tolerant in order to be a more creative society in general. "

Topics of the second panel discussion included the entrepreneurial competence and skills of children and young people, possible changes in education, the role of the school headmasters in the quality management of schools and in achieving quality education outcomes that facilitate access to the labor market. On this occasion, Dubravko Diklić, the headmaster at the Mechanical Technical School "Faust" in Zagreb shared his thoughts with those present, emphasizing that schools have to develop a positive climate necessary to encourage students to creativity: „Schools should create a positive atmosphere and added values for the school, but also for the local community and beyond. Teachers need to recognize innovative entrepreneurs among students, and schools need to build two bridges - one directed toward the students themselves and the other to the general public - in the form of organization of various trade fairs and workshops.“ In the second part of the panel Darinka Štampar Šmaguc, headmistress at the School of Crafts for Concierge services in Zagreb, Igor Salopek, pedagogue from Primary School Sesvetska Sopnica from Zagreb and Mile Živčić, director of the Agency for Vocational and Adult Education also participated in the discussion.

The conclusion derived from the discussion held is that an education system that encourages creativity is the basic requirement for further development of the Croatian society, and that creativity is inevitably becoming a key competence of the 21st century. The foundations of sustainable development pursued by every modern advanced society are critical, innovative and creative thinking, which is why Croatia should, as soon as possible, focus towards social, cultural and economic development fueled by innovation and creativity of the individual.

Remark:

Month of creative and cultural industries, as part of which these discussions were held, is organized by the Croatian Employers' Association and the Croatian cluster of competitiveness of creative and cultural industries. The event lasts from 16 May to 21 June 2016, and its goal is a better understanding of the importance of the sector of creative and cultural industries for the development of the economy and the society in general. During the month of creative and cultural industries, CEA, in cooperation with partners, is organizing a series of events, panel discussions and debates that aim to further promote creative and cultural industries.