 | |
| Ministero dell'Istruzione e del Merito | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Education and Merit | Giuseppe Valditara |
| National education budget (2016) | |
| Budget | €65 billion |
| General details | |
| Primary languages | Italian |
| System type | public |
| Compulsory primary education | 1859 |
| Literacy (2015) | |
| Total | 99.2%[1] |
| Post secondary | 386,000 |
Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age,[2] and is divided into five stages: kindergarten (scuola dell'infanzia), primary school (scuola primaria orscuola elementare),lower secondary school (scuola secondaria di primo grado orscuola media inferiore),upper secondary school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado orscuola media superiore), and university (università).[3] Education is free in Italy and free education is available to children of all nationalities who are residents in Italy. Italy has both a private and public education system.[4]
In 2018, the Italian secondary education was evaluated as below theOECD average.[5] Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near OECD average in mathematics. Mean performance in Italy declined in reading and science, and remained stable in mathematics.[5]Trento andBolzano scored at an above the national average in reading.[5] A wide gap exists betweennorthern schools, which perform near average, and schools in thesouth, that had much poorer results.[6] The 2018Progress in International Reading Literacy Study ranks children in Italy 16th for reading.
Tertiary education in Italy is divided betweenpublic universities, private universities and the prestigious and selectivesuperior graduate schools, such as theScuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019, the third-largest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and Germany.[7]Bologna University, founded in 1088, is theoldest university in continuous operation,[8] as well as one of the leading academic institutions in Italy and Europe.[9] TheBocconi University,Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore,LUISS,Polytechnic University of Turin,Polytechnic University of Milan,Sapienza University of Rome, andUniversity of Milan are also ranked among the best in the world.[10]
In Italy a state school system or Education System has existed since 1859, when the Legge Casati (Casati Act) mandated educational responsibilities for the forthcoming Italian state (Italian unification took place in 1861). The Casati Act made primary education compulsory, and had the goal of increasingliteracy. This law gave control of primary education to the single towns, of secondary education to theprovinces, and the universities were managed by the State. Even with the Casati Act and compulsory education, in rural (and southern) areas children often were not sent to school (the rate of children enrolled in primary education would reach 90% only after 70 years) and the illiteracy rate (which was nearly 80% in 1861) took more than 50 years to halve.
The next important law concerning the Italian education system was theGentile Reform. This act was issued in 1923, thus whenBenito Mussolini and hisNational Fascist Party were in power. In fact,Giovanni Gentile was appointed the task of creating an education system deemed fit for the fascist system. The compulsory age of education was raised to 14 years, and was somewhat based on a ladder system: after the first five years of primary education, one could choose thescuola media, which would give further access to theliceo and other secondary education, or theavviamento al lavoro (work training), which was intended to give a quick entry into the low strates of the workforce. The reform enhanced the role of theliceo classico, created by the Casati Act in 1859 (and intended during the Fascist era as the peak of secondary education, with the goal of forming the future upper classes), and created the Technical, Commercial and Industrial institutes and theliceo scientifico. Theliceo classico was the only secondary school that gave access to all types of higher education until 1968. The influence of Gentile'sItalian idealism was great,[11] and he considered the Catholic religion to be the "foundation and crowning" of education. In 1962, theavviamento al lavoro was abolished, and all children up to 14 years had to follow a single program, encompassing primary education (scuola elementare) and middle school (scuola media).
From 1962 to the present day, the main structure of Italian primary (and secondary) education remained largely unchanged, even if some modifications were made: a narrowing of the gap between males and females (through the merging of the two distinct programmes fortechnical education, and the optional introduction of mixed-gender gym classes), a change in the structure of secondary school (legge Berlinguer) and the creation of newlicei,istituti tecnici andistituti professionali, offering students a broader range of options.
In 1999, in accordance with the guidelines laid down by theBologna Process, the Italian university system switched from the old system (vecchio ordinamento, which led to the traditional five-yearLaurea degree), to the new system (nuovo ordinamento). Thenuovo ordinamento split the formerLaurea into two tracks: theLaurea triennale (a three-year degree akin to theBachelor's Degree), followed by the 2-yearLaurea specialistica (Master's Degree), the latter renamedLaurea Magistrale in 2007. A credit system was established to quantify the amount of work needed by each course and exam (25 work hours = 1 credit), as well as enhance the possibility to change course of studies and facilitate the transfer of credits for further studies or go on exchange (e.g.Erasmus Programme) in another country. However, it is now established that there is just a five-year degreeLaurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico for programmes such as Law and a six-year degree for Medicine.
In 2019, education ministerLorenzo Fioramonti announced that in 2020 Italy would become the first country in the world to make the study ofclimate change and sustainable development mandatory for students.[12]
Primary school (scuola primaria, also known asscuola elementare), is commonly preceded by three years of non-compulsory nursery school (or kindergarten,asilo). Primary school lasts five years. 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, and physical education. Some schools also have Spanish or French, musical arts and visual arts.
Students usually start primary school at 6, but students born between January and March who are still 5 years old can access primary school early; this is calledprimina and the students doing it are calledanticipatari. For example, a student born in February 2002 can attend primary school with students born in 2001.
Until 2004, pupils had to pass an exam to access middle school (scuola secondaria di primo grado), which comprised in the composition of a short essay in Italian, a written math test, and an oral test on the other subjects. The exam has now been discontinued and pupils can now directly enter middle school without any exam.
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Secondary education in Italy lasts 8 years and is divided into two stages: middle school (scuola secondaria di primo grado, commonly referred to asscuola media) and high school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado, commonly referred to asscuola superiore).[13] Middle school lasts three years (usually from age 11 to 14), and high school lasts five years (usually from age 14 to 19). Every tier involves an exam at the end of the final year, required to earn a degree and have access to the next degree of education. Both in middle school and high school, students stay in the classroom for most of the time (except PE, which often takes place in the gym), so the teachers are the ones who have to move from one classroom to another during the day.
In middle school pupils can go to school from Monday to Saturday starting school at 8:00 am and finish at 1:00 pm or from Monday to Friday starting at 8:00 am and finish at 2:00 pm but they might start earlier depending on the school's rules, while in high school they attend school from 4 to 8 hours a day, depending on the day of the week and on the rules and type of the school. Usually, there are no breaks between each class, but most schools have 15 to 30 minute break around halfway through the school day or they can also split it in two shorter breaks especially this happen in middle schools. If students have to stay in school after lunch, there's a longer break to let them eat and rest (usually no more than 30 minutes or 1 hour) but the food is not provided by the school.
There are three types of high school, subsequently divided into further specializations. There are some common subjects taught in each of these, such as Italian, English, maths and history, but most subjects are exclusive to a particular type of school (i.e.ancient Greek in theliceo classico,business economics in theIstituto tecnico economico orscenography in theliceo artistico):
Additionally, some lyceums offer specialized classes (indirizzi) where students may have more hours for specific subjects, receive lessons taught in English, or explore additional subjects. For instance, in theliceo scientifico, there areindirizzo liceo scientifico (orindirizzo tradizionale), with Latin, orindirizzo liceo scientifico-scienze applicate, which includes informatics.[14]
Any type of high school which lasts 4(only a few experiment) or 5 years but it is divided in two: the first 2 years(biennio or ginnasio for the liceo classico) where subjects are mostly similar in each type of school, while the other 3 (triennio) are more specific. After you get access to the final exam, calledesame di maturità(official name since 2025-26) oresame di stato(old name), that takes place every year between June and July and grants access to university.[16] This exam consists of an oral examination and written tests. Some of them, like the Italian one, are the same for each school, while others are different according to the type of school. For example, in theliceo classico students have to translate a Latin or ancient Greek text; in theliceo scientifico students have to solve mathematics or physics problems; and so on. An Italian student is usually 19 when they enter university.
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Italy has a large and national and international network of public or state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities of Italy constitute the main percentage of tertiary education in Italy and are managed under the supervision of Italian's Ministry of Education.
Italian universities are among the oldest universities in the world; theUniversity of Bologna (founded in 1088) notably, isthe oldest one ever; also,University of Naples Federico II (founded in 1224) is the world's oldest state-funded university in continuous operation.[17][18] Most universities in Italy are state-supported. 33 Italian universities were ranked among the world's top 500 in 2019, the third-largest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and Germany.[7]
There are also a number ofSuperior Graduate Schools (Grandes écoles)[20] orScuola Superiore Universitaria, which offer officially recognized titles, including theDiploma di Perfezionamento equivalent to a Doctorate,Dottorato di Ricerca i.e.Research Doctorate orDoctor Philosophiae i.e. PhD.[21] Some of them also organize Master's degree courses. There are three Superior Graduate Schools with "university status", three institutes with the status of Doctoral Colleges, which function atgraduate and post-graduate level. Nine further schools are direct offshoots of the universities (i.e. do not have their own 'university status'). The first one is theScuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, which was founded in 1810 byNapoleon as a branch of theÉcole Normale Supérieure, taking with it its famous organization model. These institutions are commonly referred to as "Schools of Excellence" (i.e.Scuole di Eccellenza).[20][22]
Italy hosts a broad variety of universities, colleges and academies. Such as theUniversity of Bologna which is, just like mentioned before,the oldest university in the world.[23] In 2009, the University of Bologna is, according toThe Times, the only Italian college in the top 200 World Universities. Milan'sBocconi University has been ranked among the top 20 best business schools in the world byThe Wall Street Journal international rankings, especially thanks to itsM.B.A. program, which in 2007 placed it no. 17 in the world in terms of graduate recruitment preference by major multinational companies.[24] Bocconi was also ranked byForbes as the best worldwide in the specific category Value for Money.[25] In May 2008, Bocconi overtook several of the most well-known top global business schools in theFinancial TimesExecutive education ranking, reaching no. 5 in Europe and no. 15 in the world.[26]
Other top universities and polytechnics are theUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, theLUISS in Rome, thePolytechnic University of Turin, thePolitecnico di Milano (which in 2011 was ranked as the 48th best technical university in the world byQS World University Rankings[27]), theUniversity of Rome La Sapienza (which in 2005 was ranked Europe's 33rd best university,[28] and in 2013, was instead ranked 62nd in the world and the top in Italy by the Center for World University Rankings[29]), and theUniversity of Milan (whose research and teaching activities have improved over the years and have received important international recognition). This University is the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a prestigious group of twenty research-intensive European Universities.
![The Polytechnic University of Milan, Lombardy, is the city's oldest university, founded in 1863. It is the best university in Italy.[30]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPOLIMI_Piazza_Leonardo_da_Vinci_32_-_on_the_right_the_building_3.jpg)
![Sapienza University of Rome, Lazio. It was founded in 1303 and is as such one of the world's oldest universities,[31] and with 122,000 students, it is the largest university in Europe.[32]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSant%2527Ivo_alla_Sapienza_-Rome.jpg)
![Palazzo della Carovana, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa main building, Tuscany. Currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, it is part of the Pisa University System.[33]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPisa_Palazzo_della_Carovana.JPG)
![Polytechnic University of Turin, Piedmont. It is ranked (QS World University Rankings) 28th worldwide for Mechanical Engineering, 22nd for Petroleum Engineering, 21st for Architecture and is among the top 100 (52nd) engineering and technology universities in the world.[34]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aValentino_castle.jpg)
![Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Veneto. Its teaching and research is centred around economics & business, humanities, and modern languages.[35]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPalazzo_Giustinian_%252B_Ca%2527_Foscari_Venedig.jpg)
Compulsory education is highlighted in yellow.
| level | name | duration | certificate awarded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-school education | Scuola dell'infanzia (nursery school) | 3 years (age: 3 to 6) | ||
| Primary education | Scuola primaria (primary school) | 5 years (age: 6 to 11) | Licenza di scuola elementare (until 2004)[36] | |
| Lower secondary education | Scuola secondaria di primo grado (first grade secondary school) | 3 years (age: 11 to 14) | Diploma di scuola secondaria di primo grado | |
| Upper secondary education | Scuola secondaria di secondo grado (second grade secondary school) | 5 years (age: 14 to 19) (compulsory until the age of 16, or until year 2) | Diploma di liceo Diploma di istituto tecnico Diploma di istituto professionale | |
| Formazione professionale (vocational education) (until 2010) | 3 or 5 years (age 14 to 17 or 14 to 19) (compulsory until the age of 16, or until year 2) | Qualifica professionale (3 years), Licenza professionale (5 years) | ||
| Higher education | Laurea (Bachelor's degree) Diploma accademico di primo livello | 3 years | ||
| Laurea magistrale (Master's degree) Diploma accademico di secondo livello | 2 years | |||
| Laurea magistrale a ciclo unico (Bachelor's + Master's degree) | 5 years only for: Farmacia (pharmacy) Chimica e tecnologie farmaceutiche (pharmaceutical chemistry) Medicina veterinaria (veterinary medicine) Giurisprudenza (law) Architettura (architecture) Ingegneria edile-Architettura (architectural engineering) Conservazione dei beni culturali (conservation of cultural properties) Scienze della formazione primaria (sciences of primary education), necessary for teaching in nursery or primary schools | |||
| 6 years, only for: Medicina e chirurgia (medicine and surgery) Odontoiatria e protesi dentaria (dentistry) | ||||
| Dottorato di ricerca (PhD) Diploma accademico di formazione alla ricerca Diploma di Perfezionamento – PhD (Superior Graduate Schools in Italy) | 3, 4 or 5 years | |||
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In 2018, the Italian secondary education was evaluated as below theOECD average.[5] Italy scored below the OECD average in reading and science, and near OECD average in mathematics. Mean performance in Italy declined in reading and science, and remained stable in mathematics.[5]Trento andBolzano scored at an above the national average in reading.[5] A wide gap exists betweennorthern schools, which perform near average, and schools in thesouth, that had much poorer results.[6] The 2018Progress in International Reading Literacy Study ranks children in Italy 16th for reading.[37]
In 2021, 49% of students in Italy were in schools whose principal reported that the school's capacity is hindered by a lack of teaching staff, and 38%, by inadequate or poorly qualified teaching staff, higher than OCED averages.[38]
The city of Rome is in charge of a large number of educational structures, around 1,144 nurseries, kindergartens, primary and high schools. These schools are at the moment the most energy-intensive public buildings in the city, accounting for up to 95% of total municipal energy use. Energy efficiency schemes are currently being developed, so that the schools can save money while also lowering carbon emissions. Around 200 schools will be reconstructed, funded by subsidies from the Italian government, European Union money under the PON Metro Italian national plan for metropolitan areas, and a €150 million credit line authorised by the European Investment Bank in February 2023.[39]
