Schools closed for religious holidays, Minister Valditara studies regulation

The government is studying a possible new rule to prevent schools from authorising absences linked to religious holidays unless there are agreements between the State and religious denominations. This is happening just a few hours before the start of the holiday to mark the end of Ramadan, and following the case of the Iqbal Masih Comprehensive Institute in Pioltello (Milan), which will be closed tomorrow on the occasion of the Islamic holiday, the first time for an Italian public school. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who has been the driving force behind the Pioltello case and the review of the resolution that led to the school's closure, is reported to have presented the issue to the council of ministers, explaining that he is working on a solution.

There is no sign of abating the political debate that has been ignited for three weeks by the decision of the municipality school on the outskirts of Milan, with a high number of residents of the Islamic religion, to suspend lessons to allow Muslim families to celebrate the end of Ramadan, and which has in fact inspired other initiatives at institutes and universities throughout Italy. Igniting the fuse by publicly commenting on Masih's decision was MEP Silvia Sardone (Lega), who described it as a 'worrying' choice and a 'dangerous precedent' in recent days, when the media attention was drawn to the request by the Muslim Students' Association of the Milan Polytechnic University to suspend classes, albeit without making a formal request, hoping that the same would happen in all Italian universities. Last week, the University for Foreigners of Siena instead announced its closure for tomorrow.

The first vote by the school board of the Iqbal Masih, at the suggestion of the teaching board, actually dates back to last May, motivated by the high number of students absent on the occasion of the Islamic holiday, already last year. Considering that 40 per cent of the students, around 1,300 between primary and secondary schools, are Muslim, Masih considered the suspension of classes a 'coherent educational choice'. However, the resolution came into the eye of the storm, becoming grounds for urgent investigation by the regional school office, at the request of Education Minister Valditara. The Masih school director, Alessandro Fanfoni, after reiterating the total absence of political motivations behind the school's closure for Ramadan, said he had received insults and threats. The resolution, as requested by the regional school office, was revised and re-voted, being unanimously approved again. President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella also intervened in support of Iqbal Masih, writing to the school head praising the institute's work. Pioltello is therefore preparing to celebrate Ramadan tomorrow, amidst satisfied and dissatisfied parents, often regardless of their religious beliefs, and largely satisfied students.