Course denied to military personnel, Meloni attacks the University of Bologna. Bernini: no stop, I guarantee it will be done

An 'incomprehensible' act that offends the 'constitutional duties' of the university. The controversy arising from the University of Bologna's non-acceptance of the Modena Academy's proposal to organise a course in philosophy reserved for student officers, revealed last Saturday by the Chief of Staff of the Army, Carmine Masiello. The President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, stigmatised the choice: 'I believe,' she scolded, 'that the decision taken by the Philosophy Department of the University of Bologna is an incomprehensible and gravely mistaken act.

This is 'not only an unacceptable choice, but a gesture detrimental to the constitutional duties that underpin the university's autonomy'. And this, he emphasises, because, 'as a centre of pluralism and confrontation, it has a duty to welcome and enhance every path of cultural elevation, remaining totally foreign to ideological prejudices. This refusal implies a questioning of the very role of the Armed Forces, a fundamental garrison of the defence and security of the Republic, as envisaged by the Constitution'. Then, Meloni points out, 'having personnel also trained in the humanities guarantees that depth of analysis, vision and lateral thinking that is essential for tackling the challenges that the Armed Forces are entrusted with'.

Considerations, those expressed by the President of the Council, are echoed by the words of the Minister for Universities, Anna Maria Bernini, who assures that 'the course will be done. I will guarantee its realisation'. In this regard, she spoke in Modena, 'I undertake, with a strong sense of responsibility, to guarantee not only the activation of the course, but also to go one step further: I have proposed the creation of an inter-agency group of the universities of Emilia-Romagna, led by the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia, to respond effectively to the training needs of the Academy's students.

To the Executive's attack, the Alma Mater, led by its Rector, Giovanni Molari, responded by guaranteeing that "the University of Bologna has never 'denied' or 'refused' enrolment to any person. As with all Italian universities, anyone who meets the necessary requirements can freely enrol in the University's courses of study, including women and men in the Armed Forces'. In addition, he added, 'the University of Bologna collaborates on an ongoing basis with the Modena Military Academy, for whose students, by virtue of specific twenty-year agreements, places are reserved at the Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine'.

There was no shortage of comments from the world of politics on the affair and its aftermath, with centre-left exponents critical of the prime minister's entry into the field. "Instead of raising intimidating fuss against the University of Bologna for the simple purpose of making a bit of cheap propaganda in order to distract from the country's problems that her government is unable to address,' says Nicola Fratoianni of Avs, 'let the prime minister act as president of the council and rather support education, universities and public research, which is increasingly in difficulty thanks to the lack of action by her own executive. These words are echoed by Alfredo D'Attorre, university manager of the PDD secretariat: 'it is surreal that President Meloni, in constant search of diversions from her concrete government activities, today finds the time and the way to attack the University of Bologna,' he argues. 'There is no need,' she continues, 'for her to emphasise the obvious, namely that it is a good thing that student officers can enrich their education with a course of philosophical studies'.