Valditara: 'Children involved in decisions on national indications'

"For the first time, children are involved in decisions on national indications. Participation is not a rhetorical exercise, but the engine of innovation'. This was said by Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara, who on Thursday took part in the closing day of the work of the National Council of Presidents of Provincial Councils (Cnpc) at the Itis 'Galileo Galilei' in Rome. The meeting," a note said, "represented the concluding phase of the National Council of Council Presidents, which saw the presidents of provincial student councils from all over Italia meet in Sabaudia (LT) from 20 to 23 April.

Divided into six commissions and supported by regional reference teachers, the council presidents presented the minister with reports and documents on strategic topics: representation, civic and digital education, school-work training, students' psycho-physical wellbeing, combating bullying and overcoming territorial disparities. "For the first time, students," the minister explained, "are not the recipients of decisions from above, but active protagonists of change. In fact, I wanted the new Directions for the Licei to be formally sent to the Councils to gather a concrete contribution: participation is not a rhetorical exercise, but an important element of change. For this reason, too, we will reward the civil commitment of the representatives with regard to the new baccalaureate examination'.

The minister outlined the course for the coming months, responding to the requests presented by the children on technology and the fight against bullying: 'We are bringing Artificial Intelligence into the classroom,' he added, 'as a support for teaching, and we are guaranteeing free psychological support for the most at-risk age groups. We have made education in affectivity and respect a priority and a learning objective. School only makes sense if it is centred on the person of the student: today, together with these girls and boys, we are concretely demonstrating that this is the path we strongly desire,' Valditara concluded.