Mattarella: ‘Schools are open to everyone; let us help to avoid creating ghettos or erecting barriers’

“School is the most effective means of integration for those coming from other countries and for young people born in Italia who are the children of emigrants”. He went on to say, “School prepares everyone; it is open to all, as stipulated in Article 34 of the Constitution.” These are some of the key points from Mattarella’s speech at the opening of the school year in Amatrice, at the Comprehensive School named after Sergio Marchionne. Ten years have passed since the earthquake; his presence signals a focus on a process of physical reconstruction and spiritual resilience, but it also ties in with current events. In particular, this relates to the new bill that the Government will present to the Council of Ministers concerning the maximum number of foreign pupils per class.

Indeed, Mattarella’s remark about schools being open to all seems consistent with the topic under discussion. The same applies to the following passage: “Schools must forge links, win the trust of families, help prevent the formation of ghettos and the erection of barriers, make our communities safer, unite rather than divide, and overcome the walls of mistrust and lack of communication. Schools are called upon to foster social cohesion”.

So, a means of integration, rather than the opposite. And, above all, a place where violence is combated.

He addresses Minister Valditara directly – who is present – when he speaks of all forms of violence, also recalling recent cases involving pupils and teachers. “There are blatant acts of bullying. Violence against teachers: the latest serious incident a few days ago comes on top of those that have already occurred, which have not been forgotten.” But he directs a specific criticism at parents who break their pact of alliance with the school. “Violence is sometimes perpetrated by pupils, but more frequently by parents, who are far more to blame because they shirk their fundamental partnership with teachers.” But even when the spotlight is not on it, violence continues to take its toll because, as Mattarella says, “there are more insidious forms of violence: bullying that preys on the weakest, on difference and vulnerability’ and then ‘the intolerable episodes of violence and oppression against girls; even the more subtle forms of oppression directed at them are unacceptable, those wretched claims of supremacy and domination’. And once again, addressing the minister, he calls for “coexistence and respect” to prevail.

In his speech, the Head of State also addresses the issue of new technologies, in particular artificial intelligence, which we should not fear but “which must be guided by the principle that the individual comes first”. In short, “we must not rely on algorithms” but on free thinking, which is what schools must foster. Therefore, even “mobile phones” must not stop us from thinking, nor should they serve as a refuge in which to rely on algorithms. In conclusion, Mattarella called for schools “to help foster a shared sense of ethics rather than merely enforcing a code of conduct. Teachers must not, therefore, be left to their own devices by society, and institutions must not shirk their responsibilities in challenging circumstances”.