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🇮🇹 Italy /Elections & Politics

Students protest Education Minister Valditara's visit to Rome institute

From ANSA · (2h ago) Italian Critical tone

Translated from Italian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Students protested Italian Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara's visit to a technical institute in Rome, citing a lack of consultation on reforms.
  • Protesters were removed from the school, with the minister's office calling the interruption undemocratic.
  • Student representatives defended the protest, demanding genuine dialogue and investment in schools over merit-based rhetoric.

Students at the Galileo Galilei Institute in Rome voiced strong opposition to the visit of Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara, deeming him unwelcome.

With a banner, reading 'Valditara out of Galilei,' and an attempted intervention, which was immediately silenced, we wanted to avoid yet another media appearance by the minister, but once again the response was to kick us out. We were all locked out of school without getting our backpacks back.

— Students and students of the collective of the Galileo Galilei Institute of RomeDescribing their protest and subsequent removal from the school during the minister's visit.

Their protest, marked by a banner reading 'Valditara out of Galilei,' aimed to prevent what they called another "media appearance" by the minister. The students, represented by the Rete degli Studenti Medi, stated their objection stemmed from reforms being implemented without student input. They criticized Valditara for using schools for "media appearances" while ignoring the daily realities and demands of students.

It is unacceptable that Valditara uses schools for his media appearances while ignoring the requests of those who live the school every day. We ask that he start with authentic listening. School needs investment and vision, not merit rhetoric at the expense of students.

— Bianca PiergentiliRegional Coordinator of the Rete degli Studenti Medi of Lazio, criticizing the minister's approach.

Bianca Piergentili, Regional Coordinator for the Lazio branch of the Rete degli Studenti Medi, emphasized the need for authentic listening and called for investment and vision in education, rather than a "merit rhetoric" at the students' expense. The students' collective expressed their frustration at being expelled from the school without their belongings.

Trying to interrupt a constructive institutional meeting between the Minister and the over 100 representatives of the provincial consultations elected by Italian students is an anti-democratic act that disqualifies those who carried it out and those who defend it.

— Giuseppe ValditaraItalian Minister of Education and Merit, responding to the student protest.

Minister Valditara, however, condemned the interruption as "undemocratic," labeling it an act that disqualifies those responsible. Alessandro Di Micco, national spokesperson for the National Coordination Office of Student Consultations, echoed this sentiment, criticizing the "undemocratic methods" and "shouting" that disrupted a constructive institutional meeting. He highlighted that the disruption came from individuals without elected representative authority, contrasting their actions with the respectful dialogue held by elected student representatives from across Italy.

The irruption with a banner, the shouting, the anti-democratic methods do not belong to the culture of representation that we honored during the working days of the Cnpc in Sabaudia.

— Alessandro Di MiccoNational spokesperson for the National Coordination Office of Student Consultations, condemning the protest methods.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ANSA in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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