Autonomy at the state school, freedom at the equal school. School is our thing (episode four)
The intervention of Sister Anna Monia Alfieri, expert in school policies
The election period, in Italy, normally unleashes the imagination of parties and coalitions in "cooking" appetizing electoral programs that present themselves as great news and irresistible panaceas of all evils.
This is also the case for the current round, with one difference: the electorate is much more attentive, as well as frightened by national and international economic and political contingencies. Furthermore, it did not escape the attention of the average-minded voter that the tireless work of the Draghi government was called upon to lead a Government of National Unity, the only opportunity to lead Nave Italia out of the worst post-war storm, with the prospect of relinquishing the helm at the right time. , established by the Constitution.
But no: from the distrust of the Cinquestelle, to the consequent carpe diem, everything has fallen apart, but now it is history that we only need to not have a short memory.
What is certain is that now for the voters it is a duty, even before a right, to act with a pencil in the polls because, if nothing is done to avoid the most tragic epilogues, they will also lose the right to cry. This is why it is necessary to pay the utmost attention to programs and candidate lists.
It is obvious that in this chaos of slices on the bench the basic questions concerning the future of the Italian school – and therefore of Italy tout court – are no longer grasped; for this reason it is necessary to keep the spotlight on that fragment of freedom denied to voting citizens: the public and state schools suffer from the shortage of qualified teachers, from the bureaucracy that wears them out, from the increasingly scarce or worse wasted funds , due to the difficulty of families in paying twice in public parities.
But it is above all the fear for the future that must turn the spotlight on the equal and state public school to avoid its collapse. Many managers, teachers and parents ask themselves: what happened to the School, that is the only possible salvation for an old country, indebted, starving for skills, undermined by the organized crime that fishes with both hands in ignorance, ideology and in social decay?
The blockade of the Family Act, caused by the government crisis, puts Italy's future at risk.
The law contained provisions delegating to the Government for the adoption, reorganization and empowerment, provisions aimed at supporting parenthood and the social and educational function of families, to combat denatality, to enhance the harmonious and inclusive growth of children and young people, to support the independence and financial autonomy of the younger generations, as well as to favor the reconciliation of family life with the work of both parents and to support, in particular, female work.
In particular, then, the social value of the educational and learning activities, even non-formal, of children was affirmed, through the recognition of tax breaks, exemptions, deductions from the tax base or deductions from income tax in relation to the expenses incurred by families, or through the provision of a credit or a binding sum of money for the purpose, with funds from the PNRR.
The Family Act also provided for measures to support families, through contributions intended to cover, even for the entire amount, the cost of the fees relating to the attendance of educational services starting from infancy.
Parents' freedom of educational choice, students' right to learn, teachers' right to freedom of teaching were guaranteed, through the definition – already clear to the Ministry – of standard costs, to encourage investments and avoid waste.
I repeat what has been established for a decade and which should be an integral part of the imagination of those who think and reason: only by applying standard costs will we have educational pluralism, quality schools, rational spending of citizens' money. Today a pupil costs the State an average of 8000 euros per year; the Ministry's accounts establish the standard cost at 5,500 euros on average. The difference is the money trapped in the grip of waste a) by the politics that exploits the school crisis for electoral purposes and b) by the unions that still promise non-existent jobs.
The information set prepared by the Ministry of Education made it clear that giving a bonus to families or a tax break to spend freely in the state or public public school – both certified – will make our school system of quality and therefore free for all. Without this goal there is no future for anyone.
It must be clear that the school is unique: it is only in a harmonious path – autonomy at the state school, freedom at the equal school, good school or tax relief for both the state school and for the equal, under the guarantor of the state – it will be It is possible to heal a school that has become unfair due to absurd promises.
This transparent path, which leads to a census of teachers with the fairness of telling them that the school is in Milan and they are in Catania, will create the conditions to pay the teachers themselves more equitably and will make the school resume its role as social elevator. Today, the child who enters the school deprived runs the risk of coming out worse than he entered, even if he can find heroes teachers, without "weapons" and without "protective devices" from the pupils' families …
Therefore, the Dear Leaders of the coalitions and parties will necessarily have to plan, on the Italian school, clear objectives and which must be captured in an overall vision. Otherwise they risk promising European salaries which, without a census of teachers, information sets and freedom of educational choice, will be yet another sailor's promise.
The solution is simple, as well as unique: the freedom of educational choice for parents is realized by giving a school voucher equal to the standard cost per pupil. The family chooses the school. Consequence: healthy competition is triggered, the level of quality is raised, you save a lot because you spend well and this allows you to pay teachers in a more dignified way and more similar to European standards.
We will look at the programs deposited by coalitions and parties and compare them. Sic et simpliciter.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/autonomia-alla-scuola-statale-liberta-alla-scuola-paritaria-la-scuola-e-cosa-nostra-quarto-episodio/ on Wed, 17 Aug 2022 11:55:10 +0000.