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Zagreb - Parliament on Wednesday endorsed a final bill on academic titles and degrees, questioning during debate the large number of study programmes and academic titles in Croatia.
There are 1,715 study programmes in Croatia at the moment and last year no, one or two students were enrolled in over 50 of them last year, said Ivica Šušak, state secretary at the Science and Education Ministry.
Rectors have "a huge responsibility" in that respect as they must take account of social responsibility as part of their own and university autonomy, he added.
All laws on higher education stipulate aligning new study programmes with labour market needs, so the Croatian Employment Service will asked for its opinion, Šušak said.
Dalija Orešković of the SSIP party said not one student had applied for a study programme to have been taught by former president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
Božo Petrov of Bridge underlined the importance of aligning higher education with labour market needs, but said there was political party influence on obtaining certain diplomas.
The law on academic titles and degrees is expected to increase the recognition of Croatian qualifications on the national and European markets, and facilitate the mobility of undergraduates and graduates.