“Our Staffroom” connects teachers and lecturers across Croatia.

Author: qohubs Team

On World Teachers' Day, we launched “Our Staffroom,” a free program for primary and secondary school teachers and lecturers that connects them in small online groups to reflect together on the challenges changing their profession.

Zagreb, 5 October 2026 – On World Teachers' Day, E.ON Croatia, in collaboration with qohubs, launched “Our Staffroom“ at Grigora Vitez Primary School in Zagreb, a new free program connecting teachers and lecturers from primary and secondary schools across Croatia. In small online groups of four to six participants, teachers will exchange experiences and reflect together on topics already changing their daily work, such as the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom, children's mental health, conflicts, relationships with parents, and energy literacy. A 1966 recommendation, among others, emphasizes the importance of professional learning for teachers, and “Our Staffroom” creates space to learn from one another.

The program is based on a simple idea: teachers create a great deal of knowledge every day through their work in the classroom, conversations with parents, and solving situations for which there is often no single correct solution. However, opportunities to systematically exchange this experience with colleagues from other schools are rare. “Our Staffroom” therefore extends the familiar space of the school staffroom beyond the walls of a single school, connecting teachers who might never otherwise have met.

Teachers love their job, but feel lack of support

And just how necessary such a space is shown by the results of a study by the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb, presented by Dr Sc. Iris Marušić, Head of the Centre for Research and Development of Education and leader of the TeachWell project.

A study examining the impact of personality, motivation, and socio-emotional competencies on teachers' professional well-being in the first five years of their careers reveals an interesting contradiction: teachers are satisfied with their jobs but do not feel society values their profession enough. As many as 87% of young teachers are satisfied with their jobs, and 94% feel enthusiastic about their subject. At the same time, 92% believe society does not value their profession enough.

“The quality of education depends above all on the quality of the teachers who work in our schools every day. Their professional role is demanding and much broader than simply teaching, involving relationships with pupils and parents, collaboration with colleagues and school leadership, and numerous administrative demands. That is why it is important how teachers feel about their jobs and what support they have in facing professional challenges. Teachers' well-being is not just a matter of job satisfaction. It is also linked to pupils' academic success and well-being, and is part of a wider debate about the kind of education we want for our children,“ emphasized Dr. sc. Iris Marušić.

From the school staffroom to “Our Staffroom“

To help teachers feel less alone in the face of these challenges, Grigora Vitez Primary School became the first meeting place for Our Staffroom.

“Today, in a time of great social and moral change, teachers face numerous challenges in their classrooms and can often feel frustrated, lonely, and left to their own devices. This prompted me to open the doors of our school to this space, where every teacher, regardless of location, will be welcome and able to share concerns, experiences, and doubts with colleagues who understand them because they face similar situations every day. I believe that “Our Staffroom” will be a space for peer support, sharing experiences and good practice, and finding solutions together. I am particularly pleased that this collaboration is starting right here in our school.“ Tea Celić, headteacher of Grigora Vitez Primary School.

Such a space for support is not intended for just one school, but for teachers from all over Croatia.

“I am grateful for the opportunity for E.ON to support such an important project. For us, energy means stability, the future and democracy. Technology and digitalization today give young people more opportunities, but also greater responsibility for their own decisions. That is why it is important to support those who educate them. Our Staffroom gives teachers a space to connect, share experiences and seek answers together to the changes shaping the future of young people," said Andreas Rörig, President of the Management Board of E.ON Croatia.

Five topics, five conversations with colleagues

The program consists of five 90-minute online sessions, with each one dedicated to one of five topics. Each group includes four to six teachers from different schools. Participants do not listen to lectures or receive pre-prepared solutions.

Each session starts with a theoretical concept, which the group then tests against their own experiences, perspectives, and practical situations. The conversation is structured by the qohubs platform, and what participants share remains within their group.

Dijana Vetturelli, co-founder and CEO of qohubs, explains why this way of working is at the heart of the program:

“People know more than they think they know. When people talk together, they don't just exchange what they already know. They create new knowledge. This is the human capacity on which we have built qohubs. We don't provide the answers; we create the conditions in which they can emerge. And now imagine how much potential there is among the tens of thousands of teachers and lecturers in Croatia.“

'Our Staffroom' was created to mark World Teachers' Day, which this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, adopted in 1966 by UNESCO and the International Labor Organization (ILO). Participation in the program is free and intended for teachers and lecturers from primary and secondary schools in Croatia. After completing the five sessions, participants receive a certificate of completion.

Every school has its own staffroom. “Our Staffroom” brings everyone together. Registrations are now open at https://www.nasazbornica.hr/.