Italian school reform; from protests to the role of the Web
Posted by Federica Uccella @ November 21st, 2008 in Viral Marketing
In the last few weeks, students, professors, researchers, and almost everyone involved in the education industry, have been protesting in the streets of Italy’s major cities expressing their opposition towards a new law put forward by Minister Mariastella Gelmini and approved by the parliament October 29th 2008.
The newly approved reforms will have an effect on all levels of the education system, from primary schools up to the higher education institutions.In primary education, the principal issue for both teachers and parents alike is the return of the “maestro unico” – a single teacher assigned to teach all subjects to one class (as done in the UK). There is also discontent with regards to the cut-back in school hours- from 30-40 hours a week to 24, depending on the school.
One of the biggest criticisms is that Gelmini has decided to make drastic changes to the very part of the education system that works well in Italy. European research has shown that Italian primary schooling is one of the most effective systems in the EU. Proposed changes to higher education are currently under debate in the Parliament and the government has shown willingness to listen to the protests. However, we can expect continued protests in the wake of the announcement of indiscriminate cuts and the potential privatisation of the Universities and higher education institutions. Whilst it is generally agreed that the system is inefficient and in need of reform, it has always been considered a public service, based on equal opportunities for everyone.
The protesters particularly criticize the reduction in funding for Universities and research budgets when weighed against all the money recently spent to “save” national airline Alitalia together with recent military spending.
Demonstrations as such have existed in the past, but what distinguishes this from other protests is the use of the internet. The internet was the principal source of information for many who participated and it enabled the manifestations to be coordinated on a national scale. Social networks, forums and blogs played a key role in spreading the news virally, allowing numerous people to participate in the debate and plan the initiatives to spread almost instantly across online communities.
Once again the people have chosen the internet as a source of information, a way to meet like-minded people and for coordination purposes. The internet evidently shows to be an instrument for democracy, where ideas can be generated from the bottom up and where the public can influence and respond to decisions made by policy-makers. If only the Italian politicians were a bit more Web 2.0 and up-to-date with the current communication channels, the people and politicians could “meet each other” on the internet which, in my opinion, could bring great benefit to the country.
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