Reforms of the education system sometimes take on rather bizarre outlines. Sometimes this is due to the voluntarism of politicians, but in some cases, behind unpopular and dubious, at first glance, decisions hides the harsh truth of life.
One of these reforms recently took place in Italy, where after a twenty-year break, marks for behavior were returned.
The fact that such assessments were first introduced in Italy 101 years ago on the initiative of the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini adds poignancy to the plot.
Left-wing and liberal newspapers responded with a wave of merciless criticism and caricatures that drew unequivocal parallels between the current prime minister and his distant predecessor.
However, the authorities agreed to this unpopular fine for a reason: the initiative to introduce marks for behavior (let's add significant fines here) was preceded by a wave of violence against teachers by students - a more than twofold increase in incidents in the 2023 academic year simply left the Ministry of Education with no other choice. Most often, an aggressive reaction is caused by requests to abandon the use of cell phones in the classroom - not all teachers are able to practically comply with the recently introduced ban on mobile phones in the classroom, sometimes it even comes to a fight!
So, having looked at this situation, in early September, Italian deputies submitted, and at the end of the month already adopted, a draft law that returned marks for behavior, as well as giving schools the right to leave students for a second year if these grades are unsatisfactory.
The evaluation system is ten-point. Of course, scores from seven to ten are considered passing. Schoolchildren who received six points must pass a citizenship test (this is an analogue of social studies and law combined), otherwise they will not transition to the next grade. If a student does not get up to five points, he will not be transferred to the next grade, even if he succeeds in the rest of the disciplines and is generally a great fellow.
In addition, the same law introduced fines for aggressive behavior or attacks on school staff. The amount varies quite widely - from several hundred to ten thousand euros per incident, depending on the severity of the offense.
The Italian Ministry of Education says that the purpose of such a law is to emphasize that the government still adheres to the point of view that the authority of the teacher should be indisputable, and will protect the pedagogical community from any encroachments, both those that take the form of physical violence and those aimed at the honor and dignity of the teacher.
Teachers, of course, support the new law with both hands. Not very many votes "against" are heard from the ranks of the parent community, but it cannot be said that the law was adopted with a bang by everyone.
The other side of the coin
The initiative also has a downside, which, however, is more symbolic than practical. The fact is that it was first decided to evaluate behavior in Italian schools exactly a hundred years ago - in 1924, after the Grand Fascist Council came to power under the leadership of the young and expressive dictator Mussolini. Such a system operated until the early 70s, but at first it was abolished in elementary and secondary schools under the influence of protests by students and schoolchildren, and then (this happened in 2000) in high school.
The leadership of the National Student Union considers this measure authoritarian and warns against possible abuses - they say, if a teacher gets the opportunity to repeat a student for behavior, without taking into account academic performance, this will give teachers the widest opportunities for abuse. And left-wing politicians openly declare that the new reform returns the country to times that it would be better not to remember at all.
