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Croatia has a long tradition of learning. In the 10th century, Tomislav, the country's first king, encouraged his people to send their children to school to become learned monks and nuns. Croatia contained several monastic centres of higher education, and in 1669, the country's first university was founded by the Jesuits in Zagreb. Today, Croatians take learning very seriously. The country has a literacy rate of almost 100%.
Education is free at all levels and officially compulsory from ages 7 to 15. The educational system consists of four levels, beginning with preschool, which is for children ages three to six. Elementary school lasts for eight years. Children learn a variety of subjects typical of European and North American schools; in addition, children who speak a Slavic language other than Croatian are able to go to schools that teach in their native language.
Secondary school lasts for four years. At this level, schools are divided into grammar, technical, specialized and mixed curriculum schools. Throughout both levels of school, all subjects are compulsory.
After high school, students may attend one of Croatia's four universities. Located in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek, these institutes offer free, high-quality education, particularly in sciences, medicine and engineering. Unfortunately, many Croatian students cannot complete high school or attend university because of economic necessity: they must work to help support their families.
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The meteorologist and geophysicist Andrija Mohorovicic (1856-1936) discovered the Mohorovicic Discontinuity or Moho layer, which is essential for understanding the structure of the earth and behaviour of seismic waves. Mohorovicic also created a method of locating the epicentres of earthquakes and ascertaining the velocity of seismic waves.
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Faust Vrancic, a 16th century Croatian scientist and writer, was the first person to build and fly a parachute.
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Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) invented the first system for generating and transmitting alternating current for electric power, selling the rights to his system to Westinghouse in 1885. He also invented the Teslacoil, widely used in radios and television sets.
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