First effects of the NRRP: more canteens, gyms and computer rooms

More computer rooms, more canteens and more sports halls in Italian schools. As the new school year is about to begin, there is a positive sign regarding the facilities and services available in schools: over the last five years, all three areas have seen steady growth.

The number of computer rooms has almost doubled, rising from 8,692 in 2020–21 to 15,998 in 2024–25; over the same period, the number of canteens has risen from 12,547 to 14,362 and the number of sports halls from 12,483 to 15,034. The first projects funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) are also contributing to this improvement. And once all the projects envisaged by the PNRR have been completed and recorded, the situation will improve even further.

This is according to the specialist magazine *Tuttoscuola* in a special feature on school buildings. The most significant progress has been made in computer rooms. In the 2020–21 academic year, 8,692 primary and secondary school buildings had computer rooms (nursery schools do not have computer rooms), accounting for 29.4 per cent of the buildings covered by the survey. By 2024–25, this number had risen to 15,998, representing 55.4 per cent. In four years, therefore, the number of computer rooms has almost doubled. Local authorities, as the owners of school buildings and those responsible for their management, also play a central role in this process. The number of premises used as canteens in nursery schools and primary schools is also increasing year on year. In 2020–21, there were 12,547 buildings equipped with a canteen, representing 37.9 per cent of those surveyed. By 2024–25, this figure had risen to 14,362, accounting for 44.5 per cent. The growth recorded in recent years is also beginning to be influenced by the first projects funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). There are also positive signs for sports halls. In 2020–21, 12,483 lower and upper secondary school buildings were equipped with sports halls, accounting for 42.2 per cent of the total surveyed. Four years later, the figure has risen to 15,034 buildings, or 52.1 per cent: a further 2,551 sports halls, present in more than one in two buildings. Here too, the increase has been driven by the first projects under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Around 87 per cent of schools make use of a sports hall, including those that do not have one on their own school premises.