Sanader said higher budgetary funds for science and education indicated the government was committed to them and that future governments should do the same so that the Croatian economy could be competitive.
The prime minister said the Croatian economy would not be able to grapple with large economies unless it had something special, which he added should be knowledge and occupational education.
He added that the duration of compulsory education would be extended starting with the school year 2007/08 because Croatia is one of the few countries which has retained the eight-year compulsory education.
Sanader also announced the adoption of a law on lifelong learning, saying it was unacceptable to have people become jobless at age 45 and prevented from acquiring knowledge so as to find a new job more easily.
He recalled that the Economy Ministry was implementing programmes for additional training, development of occupational schools, and scholarships for skills in short supply, and that about five million kuna was set aside for this last year.
Education and Science Minister Dragan Primorac said he was satisfied with the launching of an elementary and secondary education reform over the past two years. He recalled that his ministry had also set up an Occupational Education Agency.
Primorac also recalled that 25 per cent of youth do not finish high school and that it was unacceptable for Croatia to leave such potential untapped.
International experts explained what European employers expected of occupational education, the frameworks with which the European Union recognised professional qualifications in occupational education, and the German economy's position on this issue.