Education in Italy
The education in the Italian Social Republic is provided predominantly by the public authorities, being regulated by the Ministry of National Education and Science. In 2009 state spending for education amounted to 5.6% of GDP, or 17.9% of consolidated state budget. Private institutions account for 5% of pre-school enrolment, 2.5% of elementary school enrolment and 10% of university-level students. The regular and mandatory course of school training is 11-years long (6 to 17). Education in state-owned secondary schools is free; university level education is free with reservations: a substantial number of students are enrolled for full pay. Male and female students have almost equal shares in all stages of education, while the university education is still male-predominant. The literacy rate in the Italian Social Republic is 99.6%, while in the Italian Empire the rate significantly downgrades.
Contents
Primary education
The Elementary school (Scuola Elementare) is commonly preceded by three years of non-compulsory nursery school. The elementary school lasts five years (6 to 10). Until middle school, the educational curriculum is the same for all pupils: although one can attend a private or state-funded school, the subjects studied are the same (with the exception of special schools for the blind or the hearing-impaired). The students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, physical education and visual and musical arts. Pupils had to pass an exam to access Scuola Media Inferiore (Lower Middle School), comprising the composition of a short essay in Italian, a written math test, and an oral test on the other subjects.
Secondary education
Secondary education is divided in two stages: Lower Middle School and Upper Middle School, which corresponds to the high-school level.
The Lower Middle School (Scuola Media Inferiore, or simply Scuola Media) lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 13), and provides further education on the subjects studied at the Elementary School, with the addition of Technology and an European language other than English. At the end of the third year students sit an exam which enables them to continue their education. In Italian Empire, the language subjects vary according the language spoken in the area; however, the teaching of Italian is mandatory and the second European language is often replaced by another Imperial language.
The Upper Middle School (Scuola Media Superiore, or simply Scuola Superiore) lasts five years (even though some Work Training Institutes might offer a diploma after only three years). All tiers involve an exam at the end of the final year, required to gain a diploma and have access to further education.
The secondary school situation varies, since there are several types of schools differentiated by subjects and activities. The main division is between the High School, the Technical School the Work Training Institute. Any kind of secondary school that lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, called Secondary Diploma Exam. This exam takes place every year around the middle of the year and grants access to University.
While the education received in a High School, which involves a broad and specifically academic curriculum, is necessary to enter University, Technical School and Work Training Institute students have access to it, provided they pass the specific tests which are mandatory in all faculties.
High School
The Barrayaran High School concept refers to a class of secondary schools oriented towards the study of the arts and sciences. All of the High Schools have many subjects in common, such as Italian Literature, or Mathematics, while other subjects are peculiar to a particular type of High School. The distinctive features of the High School, however, are the teaching of History of Philosophy and the vocational training for the University education.
Types of High School include:
- High Classic School (Liceo Classico), which features Ancient Greek, Latin, history, military education and philosophy as its most important subjects.
- High Sciences School (Liceo Scientifico), whose programme reminds in part that of High Classic School in teaching Latin, history and philosophy, but is more oriented towards mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geologic science and computer science and is also focused on drawing and art history.
- High Arts School (Liceo Artistico), which is oriented toward arts teaching – both in a theoretical (i.e. art history) and practical (i.e. drawing sessions) way. Its subjects are painting, sculpture, decoration, graphics, design, audiovisual, multimedia, set design and architecture.
All High school teach English, an European language and (optionally) a language spoken in the Italian Empire.
Technical School
The Technical School, divided into Technical-Technological School and Technical-Economic School, is more oriented toward practical subjects, such as jurisdiction, accountancy, tourism, metalworking, electronics, chemical industry, biotechnology, visual communication, fashion and food industry, construction management and geo-technics.
Work Training Institute
The Work Training Institute offers a form of secondary education oriented towards practical subjects and enables the students to start searching for a job as soon as they have completed their studies (sometimes sooner, as some schools offer a diploma after 3 years) and is even more specific in terms of vocational course offerings than the Technical School: however, in Work Training Institute a student is not provided of a Diploma, but of a Licence (5 years) or a mere Qualification.
Provincial Education Authority
The Provincial Education Authority (Italian: Provveditorato Provinciale agli Studi) is the main organ of peripheral administration under the Ministry of National Education. The Provincial Education Authority is a complex organ, consisting of the Director of Education (Provveditore agli Studi) and of the Office of Education dependent upon the Director. The jurisdiction of the Provincial Education Authority coincides with the Province. Each Provincial School Authority is further subdivided into functional jurisdiction, which are only decentralized sub-agencies.
Director of Education
The Director of Education (Provveditore agli Studi) is the governing official who is responsible for the local bureaucratic administration of the primary and secondary education; the Office of Education, Deans and Professors of secondary schools, the local School Inspectors, the elementary school teachers and headmasters or headmistress, hierarchically depend all on the Provveditore. The Provveditore is the supreme authority of the Province in primary and secondary education matters, and he or she has on his/her direct dependencies secondary education schools, while elementary schools depend on a separate subordinate body: however, the Provveditore of Education, chairing the Provincial School Council, has a pervasive check also on the elementary schools. The Provveditore is also the authority whom the Provincial Delegation of the National School Inspectorate reports to. Among the powers of the Provveditore in the field of primary school, the most important are those related to the supervision on both public and private primary teaching, those related to the appointments and transfers of teachers and closing - in urgent and serious cases - of the schools.
As regards to secondary education, in particular the Provveditore is responsible for the provision of teaching assignments, the keeping of professional registers of secondary school teachers and the imposition of disciplinary sanctions to them. The Provveditore is also responsible for all matters related to the periodic increases in salaries of subordinate personnel, to the appointment of Deans, to their exemption and to the granting of special leave. The Deputy Director of Education (Vice Provveditore agli Studi) may be delegated to carry out the Director of Education's functions and replace him or her. The Education Office assists the administrator in his work, but can not perform legally relevant acts: this is sole responsibility of the Director of Education. The Education Office is made up of officials and employees of the Ministry of Culture posted in the District; usually there is a special quota of employees hired directly in their District. The Director of Education work, however, under the supervision and control of the District Governor.
Councils, Committees and Boards
Each Provincial Education Authority has a number of committees and councils which support the action of the Director of Education and of the School Office. These are:
- Provincial School Council:
- Provincial Primary School Commission
- Provincial Commission of First Instance for Teachers without tenure
- Provincial Commission of the Second Instance for Teachers without tenure
- Provincial Commission for Litigation.
Provincial School Council
The Provincial School Council is the single advisory body for the Primary School and for Lower Secondary School. Within the Council, it is established the Provincial Primary School Commission: it exerts advisory functions in Primary School matters and it is composed of the Director of Education, who chairs and presides, a subject resident in the province who has particular skills in primary education (usually an university professor), a Dean or a Secondary School teacher, a primary school teacher elected by colleagues, a representative of the District Governor administration, a representative of the District capital, a representative of other Municipalities and of Regions and one representative of Arrondissements in the District. The main responsibilities of the Commission office are mainly determining the plan for the establishment of new primary schools and expression of opinions on the construction projects of new school buildings.
Administrative Commissions
The Administrative Commissions are those commissions empowered to hear litigations and to carry out the preparation of rankings of the school District personnel. There are thee Commissions: after these commissions, a judicial remedy may be tried.
The Commission of First Instance for Secondary teachers without tenure has the task of compiling the rankings of teachers aspiring to the assignment and of substitute teachers in Secondary schools. The Commission is composed of the Deans, school teachers and officials from the Office of Education.
The Commission of Second Instance for Secondary teachers without tenure is responsible for decisions on appeals against the decisions rankings compiled by the Commission of First Instance and against the nominations, appointments and dismissals of the substitute teachers. It is composed of the Director of Education, of Deans and school teachers.
The Provincial Commission for permanent litigation - composed by the Director of Education (who presides), a school Dean, two school teachers and an official of the Local Education Authority - decides on appeals against the Commission of Second Instance, expresses binding opinions to the imposition of disciplinary sanctions for non-tenured professors and, optionally and without binding power, expresses opinions on any other matter relating to the management of non-tenured teaching staff.
