More precarious workers and less qualified support in the North

The school supply is relatively uniform across the territory according to data from the Commission on Educational Poverty, but the gaps emerge when analysing the teaching staff. The North is more penalised, as confirmed by the ISTAT report on the inclusion of pupils with disabilities published last Wednesday. Many professorships are covered by annual substitutes or, in support assignments, by non-qualified personnel. There are fewer differences in the number of students per teacher. In State schools the ratio is 10.5, with peaks in Emilia-Romagna (11.5), Lazio and Lombardy (11.1).

In the school year 2023/24 almost one in four teachers (24.4%) were substitute teachers, excluding short assignments. The share decreases progressively from North to South. In the northern regions the highest values are in Valle d'Aosta (32.0%), Lombardy (31.6%) and Piedmont (31.5%). Only Friuli-Venezia Giulia remains below the national average. The rates in the Centre are lower, between 23.3% in Marche and 27.2% in Tuscany. In the South, where the teaching staff is older and more stable, they fall almost everywhere around or below 20%, with the exception of Abruzzo (23.7%) and Sardinia (26.5%). The national lows are in Campania (14.8%).

In the year 2024/25, 22.1% of support teachers had no specific training to follow students with disabilities. Once the availability of qualified figures is exhausted, these positions are assigned to teachers in the curricular rankings. The quota has decreased, the previous year it was 26.9%, but it remains an inequality factor that limits school inclusion. Added to this is the delay in assignments. One month before the start of school, 10.2% of the assignments had still not been filled.

In the North, non-qualified support teachers exceed 30% almost everywhere, with the exception of the province of Trento (26.8%) and Lombardy (29.1%). The highest values are in Piedmont (38%) and Valle d'Aosta (37.6%). The Centre is also above the national average, with rates ranging from 20% in Lazio to 35.3% in Tuscany. The southern regions fall below 20%, with the exception of Sardinia (29.6%). The lowest values in Molise (5.1%) and Campania (6.0%).

The availability of autonomy and communication assistants, figures distinct from the support teacher who help pupils with disabilities to participate in school life, also varies. On average there is one for every 4.1 pupils with disabilities, according to data from 2024/25. The ratio is more favourable in the Centre (3.4 students per assistant), while it increases in the North (4.5) and in the South (4.0). Differences remain strong even between neighbouring regions: as these figures are provided by local authorities, the presence also depends on the resources allocated by municipalities.