On the Occasion of the Day of Gifted Pupils, President Milanović Receives Members of the DAR Association for Giftedness
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today received pupils from the DAR Association for Giftedness on the occasion of the Day of Gifted Pupils, which has been celebrated in schools on the 21st of March since 2011.
The gifted pupils were accompanied by representatives of the DAR Association for Giftedness, which provides support to gifted children and young people, especially those with disabilities. The representatives presented the Association to President Milanović, explaining that it was founded in 2015 to bring together children, pupils, and young people, as well as their parents and professional associates. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization where parents and professionals, depending on their qualifications, knowledge, and skills, pass on knowledge to children that is not covered in mainstream education. They emphasized that they are the only association from Zagreb and the surrounding area implementing an EU project for gifted pupils. The Association has about 50 members and estimates that there are between 7,500 and 10,000 gifted pupils in Croatia.
The European Day of Talented and Gifted Pupils was first observed in 2011, and since then, the 21st of March has been observed in schools across Croatia as the Day of Gifted Pupils. The purpose of introducing this day is to raise public awareness about the importance of recognizing gifted, creative, and talented children and developing special programmes to support them, as stated at the meeting. It was explained that giftedness is a combination of characteristics that, in addition to cognitive abilities and personality traits, also includes specific skills in various fields and subjects – such as artistic talent, leadership, sports, science, and more.
In addition to gifted pupils and their parents – members of the DAR Association for Giftedness – the meeting at the Office of the President was attended by the Association’s President, Dubravko Čop, board members Ljubica Ljubičić and Mijo Ljubičić, adviser Professor Emerita Majda Rijavec, and students Bruno Pernar and Luka Čučuković.
Jadranka Žarković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education, was alongside President Milanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta