SThere are many elements for reflection contained in the 2nd Eurispes Report on schools and universities, presented today. From the grade evaluation system, which does not satisfy 61% of primary and middle school teachers (56.9% in high school). To the evidence of spread of bullying: in high school (79.8% of teachers document their presence) but also in primary and lower secondary schools (82%). But perhaps even more worrying is the violence that one in 10 primary and middle school teachers has suffered from parents. It is worrying because it demonstrates a school-family alliance that is crumbling, and makes all the other issues even more problematic.
School, teachers amidst bureaucracy and little social recognition
The first part of the 2nd Report on Schools and University, produced by Eurispes and published by Giunti Scuola, focused on the experiences and opinions of Italian teachers. Among the critical points indicated, emerge the crux of “bureaucracy” (93%) and poor investment in education. But also intolerance for the economic treatment (65% among university professors and almost all, 90%, among teachers of other classes). And for the lack of recognition of their role as teachers in society (55.5% for university teachers and over 80% for all others).
The impossible task of reforming the school
On the centenary of the Gentile reform, the president of Eurispes, Gian Maria Fara, remembered how many school reform projects they were systematically dismantled “having survived only a few days after the fall of the government forces that had given birth to them”. But reform is difficult if «the share of GDP relating to education is increasingly diminishing: in the last 25 years we have seen national spending on schools reduce from 5.5% to 4%.. A paradox, since, at least in words, we say that we consider school the country’s great priority.”
The decline in enthusiasm from primary to secondary school
In the transition from primary school to lower secondary school we witness a decline in motivation and desire to learn (from 81.6% to 57.9%). In upper secondary school only 25.7% of teachers have never recorded episodes of hostility on the part of children and there is also a tendency towards aggression, although sporadically (49%).
There is the chapter of bullying among peers: 79.8% of high school teachers and 82% of primary and lower secondary teachers document their presence.
One teacher in 10 has suffered violence from parents
And there is the chapter on the hostile reaction of parents to the work of teachers. Over half of primary and middle school teachers (54.5%) have experimented parental interference in choices relating to teaching methods and contents. Almost half (49.1%) have heard their grades/judgments challenged at least sometimes by the students’ families. And as regards disciplinary measures, only 49.8% of teachers have never received complaints.
16% of teachers even received it threats from the pupils’ parents. The actual episodes violence from parents concerned at least 1 teacher in 10 (sometimes 12.8%; often 1%, always 0.3%).
Among secondary school teachers, 15.2% of teachers said they had received threats from parents, 13% of having suffered acts of violence.
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