The Historical Development of Teacher’s Training Institutions in Zadar

Abstract

The paper attempts to trace the historical development of teacher’s training institutions in Zadar which has for centuries been the leading center in Dalmatia and on which depended the quality o f the entire eduactional process in the city itself as well as in the entire region. The first form of public teacher’s training in Dalmatia was a six month course for teachers established in Zadar in 1821. In 1849 it is promoted to a one-year course while from the school year 1852/53 to the end of 1870/71 the course lasted two years. In 1866 the first teacher’s training school for man using the Croatian language was opened in Dalmatia. Initially lasting two years, than three (from 1872), starting in 1904 the school adopted a four year program. Due to changed political circumstances the school removed from Zadar in 1921. The teacher training school with a four-year program was again opened in 1945 to be expanded to one of five-year duration in 1951. W ith the opening of the Pedagogical academy and the closing down of the school for teachers in 1961 we have the beginning of the academic education of teachers. The Faculty of Philosophy was founded in 1956. Since 1979 when the Pedagogical academy was integrated into the Faculty, in addition to educating students for a B.A. degree it has also taken over the education of elementary school teachers. The current 1996 school year is important because it commemorates three anniversaries relating to these institutions: the 175th anniversary of the first teacher’s training course in Dalmatia, the 130th anniversary of the Arbanasi Preparatory school for Men, the first preparatory school teaching in Croatian on the territory of Dalmatia and the 40th anniversary of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar, the first postwar institution o f higher learning in Dalmatia.