‘Italy should reform education system’

According to a recent poll by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Italy is listed last among a group of 24 developed countries regarding reading, literacy, math and problem-solving skills.

“The OECD survey’s results come as a wet blanket for those who still think the Italian schools are, after all, better than others. The global picture is catastrophic and the problem lays in a strongly centralized system, which needs a radical reform,” said Andrea Ichino, professor of economics with the University of Bologna and the European University Institute of Florence.


The Italian academic also stated, “With the current system, students have no real opportunity to choose their educational path.”

The comments come as students staged demonstrations in dozens of cities across Italy, including the capital Rome, on October 11, to protest against austerity measures and to call for the government to spend more on education.

Roberto Campanelli, the spokesman for Italy’s Union of Students, stated that a decision by the Italian government last month to allocate 400 million euros (about $544 million) to education in three years would not be sufficient enough since the system has endured heavy cuts in the past five years.

Italian youths have not only been hit by a worsening education system, but they also face difficulties in the job market, as a staggering 40 percent of the generation in the country are without work.

Over the past decade, Italy has been the slowest growing economy in the eurozone as tough austerity measures, spending cuts, and pension changes have stirred serious concerns for many people already grappling with the ailing economy.

Italians have been staging protests against high unemployment, economic adversity and hardship over a series of government-imposed austerity packages in the recent past.

CAH/HSN

Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/10/14/329344/italy-should-reform-education-system/

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