Back to School: What’s Needed for a Smooth Start

Wishing You Success in the New School Year!

As summer comes to an end and the first days of September roll in, it’s a clear sign that the school holidays are almost over. After nearly three months of relaxation, well-deserved play, and leisure, it’s time to return to the classroom, settle back into the school routine, and take on daily responsibilities once again.

Getting into the habit of going to bed earlier and waking up earlier could start a few days before the first day of school, which is also the time, when many will head out to buy notebooks, pencils, crayons, pencil cases, textbooks, and other school supplies. Store aisles with school supplies are getting increasingly crowded, but there will surely be enough for every student. In 2023, we produced 2 711 tonnes of notebooks and 26 tonnes of office and school supplies[1]. Additionally, we imported 1 258 tonnes of notebooks and writing pads, and 34.1 million pencils, ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens in 2024 (total import value of 14.3 million euro).

The list of school necessities gets even longer when you add sneakers, indoor shoes, and gym clothes to the mix. Parents may find this challenging, as prices have gone up: in 2024, the prices of textbooks went up by 9.9% compared to the previous year, those of writing and drawing supplies rose by 2.4%, and of clothing and footwear by 1.0%.
 

A new chapter in life for over thirty thousand first graders

While some look forward to the first day of the school year, others find it stressful. Regardless, the start of new school experiences will mark a nine-month journey in the lives of children, their parents, and teachers alike.
At the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year, Croatia had 1 945 regular basic schools and 102 basic schools for disabled children and youth. A total of 296 141 pupils attended classes in these schools, including 35 881 first-graders starting their basic education for the first time. Of these first-graders, 18.1% were younger than seven years old. In the same school year, there were 37 826 teachers working in basic schools, of whom 82.3% were women.

Upper secondary school students are probably less excited about the start of the school year. At the start of the 2024/2025 school year, there were 150 608 upper secondary school students, with 42 740 of them starting the first grade. When enrolling, they could choose from 186 grammar schools, 269 technical and related secondary schools, 197 industrial and crafts schools, and 54 secondary art schools. At the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year, there were 64 upper secondary schools for disabled youth.
Some teachers will surely be remembered fondly for a lifetime, serving as inspiration and motivation for their career paths, while others will be remembered as strict and demanding. At the start of the 2024/2025 school year, there were a total of 27 737 teachers in upper secondary schools, of whom 67.9% were women.



The start of school calls for increased traffic caution

The return to school and work responsibilities in big cities also affects traffic congestion. After months without students and schoolchildren using public transport, buses will once again be filled with school backpacks, and roads near schools will be bustling with students. Let’s recall the 2021 Census data on daily and weekly migrations - the number of daily commuters was 864 120, of which 17.46% were school students and 2.38% were university students. Weekly commuters numbered 67 243, with school students making up 11.14% and university students 23.67% of that total.

In 2024, there were as many as 2 340 080 drivers who should especially keep an eye out for pupils - the youngest and sometimes unaware participants in traffic - as well as their older friends, brothers, and sisters who, often distracted by typical teenage concerns, forget that vehicles are always faster than they are. In fact, in 2024, as many as 1 547 people under the age of 18 were injured in traffic, and it is everyone’s hope - and responsibility - that this number decrease each year.

With optimism in our hearts, we wish all pupils and students, their parents, and school staff a successful school year!

^{[1] Office and plastic school supplies}

Page