Lhe school year starts again, with fewer children (71,000 fewer in first grade than 7 years ago) and many inequalities: only 38% of primary school classes have full-time, just over half of the children can use the canteen service. Meanwhile, the share of GDP for education has started to fall again: it is equal to 4.1%, while the European average is 4.8. But inequalities do not affect everyone equally. The new Report of Save the Children «The world in one classroom. A survey on cultural pluralism in Italian schools» puts emphasis on students with migrant backgrounds, and their difficulties. Yet, the multi-ethnic school would be an asset to be valued, as shown by video of the campaign for the reform of the citizenship lawwhich leaves today.
The children of a multi-ethnic school in Prato. Giuliano Del Gatto for Save the children
There are 800,000 students with a migration background, and they have to face many difficulties: for example, taking part in school trips or cultural exchanges abroad, often reserved for EU citizens, as well as in sports competitions. 77.9 of them attend kindergarten against 95 of the Italians. But the biggest difference is in school delays: in secondary school, 48% of them are late, against 16 of Italians. Economic poverty also weighs on educational povertywhich affects 36% of foreign families with minors.
“School is the space par excellence for meeting and exchange between children and young people of different origins, and the relationship is often the key to starting a successful social inclusion process”, says Daniela Fatarella, general manager of Save the Children . “Because of this, we ask the Government to invest resources to enhance cultural pluralism in schoolsenhancing the presence of cultural mediators in institutions with a high presence of pupils with a migrant background, but also Italian courses and extracurricular socialization activities, especially in the most disadvantaged areas”.
To break down inequality, an indispensable and long-awaited step is the recognition of Italian citizenship for girls and boys born in our country, or who entered our country as children, also to strengthen “the sense of belonging to the community in which they grow up and push forward their aspirations for the future. It is an opportunity that our country cannot miss», says Raffaella Milano, director of Save the Children’s Italy-Europe programmes.
A lesson in a school in Marghera. Giuliano Del Gatto for Save the Children.
Save the Children: friendship has no borders
The Save the Children Report also presents a quantitative survey among 6,000 students aged between 10 and 17 who attend school in 5 cities (Catania, Milan, Naples, Rome, Turin) on the sense of belonging to school and social relationships. The survey is part of the European research project Immerse, which studies the state of school and social inclusion of migrant and refugee minors in Europe. Well, having or not having a citizen affects scholastic expectations. For example, 43% of students with a migrant background who hold citizenship believe they can earn a degree or a doctorate, while the percentage drops to 35.7% among those who do not have citizenship.
Even among those who interrupt school for periods longer than 6 months, differences are noted: tamong those who do not have citizenship, 8% say they have not found a place at school, a percentage that drops to 1.5 among those who are Italian citizens. The support activities and language support are scarce, say the children with a migrant background, and only 38% participate in extracurricular activities. But if there is some difficulty in settling in at school, things are simpler in relationships between peers: the majority of minors, including Italians, have friends from other countries. The law lags behind reality: they, i boys, have already overcome the prejudices of adults.
Today Save the Children launches the countryside “Italian citizenship for children born or raised in Italy. It’s time to recognize their rights!”To answer the question of the sense of belonging of the children, for an elementary need for justice and equity.
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